A proxy, also called a proxy server, is a software acting as an intermediary a client and server on the internet. Without proxy servers, a user would send a request for resources directly to a server and it would then serve the resource directly to the user. Although this method is easy to grasp and implement however, the addition of proxy servers can bring advantages such as increased speed, privacy, security, and a host of other benefits. As an additional layer of passing through, the proxy acts as a guardian for the internet, separating clients from servers.




In general, the bundled system of server hardware coupled with installed proxy software is also commonly described as proxy servers. This article will focus on the proxies that are usually considered to be software, and specifically in relation to web servers. There will be a discussion of the two main types of proxies, the other being forward proxy and the other being a forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each kind of proxy has its own purpose and can be confusing due to the resemblance of namesake convention.




This article will provide you with an understanding of types of proxies and subtypes, as well as their benefits for setups that are common. If you've read in this post, you'll be able understand the situations when the use of proxies is beneficial, and you can then select the best choice between forward proxy and reverse proxy depending on the circumstance.



Understanding Forward Proxies



Forward proxy, also referred to by the name of open proxy. An open proxy acts as the representative of a client who wishes to forward a request via the internet to the server that made it. In this scenario every attempt to send requests made by the client's end will instead be routed directly to the forward proxy. Forward proxy in place of the client, will look into the request. The first step is to verify if the client is authorized to receive requests from this particular forward proxy. Then, it will deny any request, or send it to the server that originated it. The client does not have an internet connection directly and can only access what the forward proxy allows it to connect to.




The primary reason for people to utilize forward proxies is increased privacy or anonymity when surfing the web. A forward proxy accesses the internet through clients and, in this manner it can make use of an IP address distinct from the original IP address used by the user.




Depending on the way it's set up, the forward proxy can provide a variety of functions in addition to the ability to:




Beware of Ad-trackers.


Circumvent surveillance.


Find restrictions that are based on the location you are in.




Forward proxies are also utilized in systems that provide central security and permission-based access, like at work. When all internet traffic flows through a common forward proxy and administrators are capable of allowing only certain clients to access the internet via a common firewall. Instead of putting firewalls for the client layer, which could include multiple machines that have different settings and users and environments the firewall is placed in a forward proxy layer.




It is essential to note to set forward proxy preferences must be manually set up to permit the forward proxy to function for use and reverse proxy settings are not able to be noticed by the user. Depending on whether your IP address a user is sent to the server from which it originated via forward proxy privacy and security may be granted or kept in the dark.




There are a variety of options to think about when it comes to forward proxy choices:




Apache A well-known open source web server with forward proxy capabilities.


Nginx: Another renowned open-source web hosting server that has forward proxy functions.


Squid: A no-cost forward proxy that uses the HTTP protocol. It's not the complete webserver system. It is possible to refer to our article on the most efficient method of configuring Squid proxy to allow private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante Forward proxy that makes use of the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP and HTTP, making it more suited to cases such as peer-to-peer communication. You can also check out how to configure Dante proxy for secure connections within Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy acts as an intermediary to web servers, and is able to handle requests from customers for the web server. The web server can serve as a single server or as a series of servers. In addition, it could serve as an application server such as Gunicorn. In all cases, the request for an application comes through the internet in general. The request will typically directly go to the web server that hosts the information that the user is searching for. The reverse proxy serves as a middleman to protect your website server from communication to the open internet.




From a consumer's point the consumer's perspective, working with reverse proxy isn't any different than interacting with the web server directly. It's functionally the same but the client isn't able to tell the difference. Client makes a request for an item, and gets it without requiring any additional configuration from the user.




Reverse proxy providers provide features like:




The server on the internet is protected centrally.


Directing traffic according to the rules you establish.


A new feature for caching has been added.




While central security is an advantage of both reverse and forward proxy, reverse proxies do this only for the web server layer, but not to the client layer. Instead of maintaining firewalls for Web server layers, which could contain multiple servers with various configurations, the majority protection of the firewall is directed at the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, taking the responsibility of connecting to a firewall and interacting with clients' requests off of web servers enables them to focus on serving resources.




If there are more than one servers existing with a reverse-proxy, the reverse proxy is also responsible for controlling which requests go at the server. There could be multiple web servers that are running from the same host, each offering different types of resources or a combination of the two. These servers could use the HTTP protocol like a traditional web server. They can also include application server protocols like FastCGI. You can also set up reverse proxy servers to direct clients to specific servers based on the service they require, or to observe certain traffic load rules.




Reverse proxies are also able to make use of their location on top of web servers with the help of caching. Large static assets can be set up with caching rules to avoid getting into web servers for every request, with some options even allowing you to provide static files without having to connect directly to the website server. In addition, the reverse proxy can manage compression of these assets.




The popular Nginx web server is a wildly popular reverse proxy solution. While it is a reverse proxy solution, the Apache web server also comes with the reverse proxy feature as an added feature that is available for Apache however Nginx was initially designed for and is specifically focused on the reverse proxy function.



Differentiating Forward Proxy from Reverse Proxy Use Situations



Since "forward" along with "reverse" are both associated with the notion of directionality as well as misleading comparisons with "incoming" in addition to "outgoing" traffic, these labels can be confusing because both types of proxies can be used to respond to requests and responses. An alternative method to differentiate between forward and reverse proxy servers would be to study the specifications of the software you're creating.




Reverse proxy is an effective tool to use when creating a solution for serving websites on the internet. They represent your web servers during any interaction through the Internet.




Forward proxy can be useful to use when you are in front clients for personal usage or even in a work environment. They represent your client traffic when you are on the internet.




A distinction that is based on the use cases instead of looking at the common names can help in avoidance of confusion.



Conclusion



The article clarified what a proxy was along with two types being the reverse proxy and forward proxy. Practical examples of its use as well as a discussion of most beneficial features was used to differentiate forward proxies from reverse proxies. If you'd like to explore the ways to use proxies, we suggest that you read our tutorial on how to configure Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy using Apache running and Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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