A proxy often referred to as a proxy server is software that functions as an intermediary between a client and a server on the internet. Without the use of proxy servers, users can send a request for an item directly to a server and the server will deliver the resource directly to the client. Though this approach is simple to understand and implement, the addition of proxies could provide advantages in terms of improved performance, privacy, security, and more. In addition to offering a security layer they also serve as a security guardian for the internet between servers and clients.




The consensus is that the server hardware and proxy software is often referred to proxy servers. This article will be focusing on the proxies that are typically categorized as software, and in the case of web servers. We will present a summary of the two main types that are forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each has its own specific usage and can be confusing due to the same name convention.




This article will provide you with an idea of nature of proxies and what subtypes they are, as well as how they work in the typical setups. In in this post, you'll discover how to determine the situations where it's beneficial to utilize a proxy and decide on the appropriate choice between forward proxy and reverse proxy for any scenario.



Understanding Forward Proxies



In the same way, a forward proxy sometimes referred to as open proxy. In other words, an open proxy serves as the representative of a customer who wishes to make an internet-based request to an source server. In this case, every request from the client's side will be directed straight through the forward proxy. This forward proxy in the in the place of the customer, will review the request. First, it will determine if the client has the right to receive requests from this specific forward proxy. It will then decide if it is authorized to reject an request and transfer it onto the original server. The client isn't able to access directly the internet. It only has access to what forward proxy allows it access to.




The most popular reason to use forward proxies is to gain greater privacy or security on the internet. A forward proxy is able to access the internet in instead of a client and, in this way it could employ a different IP address than the original IP address used by the client.




Depending on how it's been previously configured, forward proxy servers can give you a variety of options. They allow you to:




Do not be a victim of ad tracking.


Circumvent surveillance.


You can determine limitations based on your geographic place of residence.




Forward proxies may also be utilized in systems that offer centralized security and permission based access, for example, at work. When all traffic on the internet passes via an open forward proxy layer administrators can restrict access to only specific clients on the internet filtered through an common firewall. Instead of having firewalls for the client layer that could comprise a variety of computers with different user and environment the firewall could be placed into the forward proxy layer.




It is important to note that settings for forward proxy must be configured manually in order to be used, while reverse proxy settings can be not recognized by clients. Depending on whether the IP address of the client is transmitted to the source server via the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity could be granted or denied.




There are many options to take into consideration for forward proxies




Apache The Apache is a popular open-source web server with forward proxy capabilities.


Nginx: Another renowned open-source webserver that has forward proxy features.


Squid is a free forward proxy that uses an HTTP protocol. This doesn't offer an entire Web server service. Check out our step-by-step guide to create Squid proxy to allow private connections within Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante forward proxy, which uses using the SOCKS protocol rather than HTTP this makes it more suited to situations such as peer-to-topeer connections. You can also examine the steps to install an Dante proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



A reverse proxy serves as a representative of web servers, which handles the incoming requests of clients on its behalf. The web server may include a server or multiple servers. Also, it could be a server for applications such as Gunicorn. In any of these scenarios, an application request comes from a user via the internet in general. In most cases, the request will be directed directly to the web server along with the data the user wants. Instead, a reverse proxy serves as an intermediary shielding Web server from any direct interactions with the web's public.




From a consumer's point of view that is a user's viewpoint, interfacing using a reverse proxy is identical to working with an internet server direct. It's exactly the same thing, however the client cannot be able to discern the distinction. The client requests the resource, and is then provided with it, with no additional configuration required from the client.




Reverse proxies can provide features such as:




Secured centrally for Web Server Layer.


Controlling traffic inbound based on rules you can design.


The caching function has been added to the app.




While central security is a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy servers, reverse proxies offer this feature to only the server layer, not the client layer. Instead of maintaining firewalls at the web server layer that may contain many servers and various configurations, most of the firewall security is targeted at the reverse proxy layer. Also, the removal of the responsibility of interacting with a firewall as well as dealing with client requests without the need for web servers enables them to concentrate on serving the needs of their customers.




If there are multiple servers being hosted using a reverse-proxy, the reverse proxy is also responsible for directing what requests go to the server. There may be several web servers that provide the same content, offering various types of resources or a mixture of both. These servers may be running the HTTP protocol similar to a standard web server but they can include different protocols for application servers like FastCGI. It is also possible to set up reverse proxy to redirect clients to specific servers based on the requested resource or to adhere to specific rules for traffic load.




Reverse proxies can also make use of their location before web servers by delivering caching capabilities. Large static assets can be set up by using caching rules in order to avoid the web server from being hit with each request. There are solutions that permit the server to serve static assets directly without connecting to the web server even once. In addition reverse proxy solutions can handle compression of these assets.




The well-known Nginx web server is also used as a very popular reverse proxy solution. Although Apache has a reverse proxy option but Apache is a reverse proxy service. Apache web server is also able to function with reverse proxy feature that is an added feature of Apache while Nginx was designed initially to focus on the reverse proxy feature.



Differentiating Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Examples



Because "forward" or "reverse" have a connotation of directionality, and false comparisons to "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic, the labels could be confusing, since both types of proxy are able to handle requests and responses. A better approach to differentiate between reverse and forward proxy is to study the requirements of the application that you are building.




A reverse proxy could be helpful when building a solution to provide web-based applications on the internet. They serve as your web servers whenever you connect to the web.




Forward proxy is useful when placed in front of customers for personal use, or in a corporate environment. They represent your clients whenever you use the internet.




The use of case-based differentiation instead of focusing on the common naming conventions can aid in avoiding confusion.



Conclusion



This article defined the meaning of a proxy, which includes two kinds that are forward and the reverse proxy. Practical applications and a discussion of beneficial features were utilized to differentiate between forward and reverse proxy. If you're interested to learn more about how to set up proxies you can check out our tutorial on how to set up Nginx as a web server and reverse proxy using Apache on Ubuntu 20.04. Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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