A proxy, also known as a proxy is also referred to for its role as a proxy. It is software that functions in the role of intermediaries between a client and server over the internet. In the absence of a proxy server, a user would be able to send a request to anything directly to the server, and servers would serve direct to users who requested the resource. Although this method is easy to understand and use, however the addition of proxy servers could provide advantages such as more speed, privacy and security, and so on. In addition to providing a layer of security, proxies act as a gatekeeper for the internet between servers and clients.




There is a general consensus that the servers that are equipped with proxy software is also often referred as proxy servers. This article will concentrate on proxies traditionally defined as software, and more specifically in relation to web servers. We will present a summary of the two main kinds of proxy: a forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each has its own use, and can be confusing due to the same namestamp.




This article will give you an understanding of types of proxies, their subtypes, and what they can do for the most common setups. By reading this article, you'll be able to know the scenarios where you can benefit from a proxy, and make the right alternative between reverse proxy or forward proxy for any scenario.



Understanding Forward Proxies



Forward proxy sometimes called open proxy, sometimes referred to as open proxy acts as an agent for a user who wants to transmit a request through the internet to a source server. In this instance, any request made by the client will be directed via this forward proxy. A forward proxy acting in position of the customer will review the request. It first decides if the client is allowed to accept requests via this particular forward proxy. Then, it can either reject requests or send it back to server that originated it. The client is not capable of having direct access to the internet; it is only allowed access to the information that the forward proxy allows the access.




A very frequent applications for forward proxy servers is greater privacy or security on internet. A forward proxy accesses the internet instead of a specific client and in the process, it can use another IP address as opposed to the IP address used by the user.




Depending on how it's configured, based on the way it's configured forward proxy could provide various options and let you:




Beware of tracking ads.


Circumvent surveillance.


Find restrictions based on the geolocation.




Forward proxies are also used in systems to offer central security and permission based access to the internet, for instance at a workplace. In the event that all internet traffic is routed through a common forward proxy layer an administrator is able to permit only certain users access to the internet. The web is blocked by a common firewall. Instead of keeping firewalls in place for the client layer which may comprise a variety of machines with various configurations and users, a firewall can be placed on an intermediary layer.




Be aware that forward proxies should be manually configured for use, while reverse proxy servers could be not recognized by the client. Based on the kind of IP address the client, it is transmitted to the server that generated it via the forward proxy security and privacy can be granted or made clear.




There are a myriad of choices to be considered when deciding on forward proxy options:




Apache is an well-known open-source web server that provides forward proxy capability.


Nginx is another popular open-source webserver that includes forward proxy functionality.


Squid is an open source forward proxy that utilizes an HTTP protocol. It does not contain the whole web server. We recommend you read our article about the best way to install Squid proxy to enable private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante is a forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP which makes it suitable for scenarios such as peer-to-peer traffic. You can also learn how to configure an Dante proxy for connection to private networks in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy is a web server that handles the requests of customers on its behalf. It can be used as a one server, or as a series of servers. Additionally, it can contain an application server like Gunicorn. In any of these instances the request will be made via the web at large. In the majority of cases, the request is sent directly to the server along with all the information the user requires. A reverse proxy functions as an intermediary, separating your server from communications with the internet's users.




From the point of view from a client's perspective reverse proxy use is not different from connecting directly to an internet server. It's basically the same, but clients aren't aware of the difference. The client makes a request for the resource, and then gets it, with no additional configuration required by the client.




Reverse proxies provide options like:




A centralized layer of security to guard the server.


Directing incoming traffic according to rules you can establish.


A new feature for caching has been added.




While central security is an advantage of both reverse and forward proxy solutions, reverse proxies give this feature only to only the server layer, only the layer that clients use. instead of maintaining firewalls on the server level which could include multiple servers and different configurations, the majority of firewall security could be concentrated on the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, taking the burden of interacting with firewalls as well as interacting with requests from clients outside of web servers allows them to focus solely on meeting the requirements of their clients.




In the case of multiple servers hosting through a reverse proxy it also handles the routing of requests to the servers. Multiple servers may be operating on the same server, serving different types of resources or a combination of the two. They may utilize the HTTP protocol as a standard web server, however they could also incorporate applications server protocols like FastCGI. You can set up a reverse proxy to route clients to particular servers according to the requested resource, or to adhere to specific rules regarding traffic load.




Reverse proxies may also benefit from their position prior to web servers by offering the ability to cache. Large static assets can be managed using caching rules to prevent reaching web servers each time a request is made. There are solutions that offer an option to serve static content without needing to connect with a webserver. In addition, reverse proxy is able to handle compressing these assets.




The renowned Nginx webserver is known as a well-known reverse proxy choice. It is true that Apache web server does have reverse proxy capabilities, Apache web server is able to use reverse proxy capabilities, it is an added feature available to Apache but Nginx was designed originally to focus on reverse proxy functionality.



Differentiating Forward Proxy and reverse Proxy Use Examples



Since "forward" and "reverse" are associated with a sense of directionality and false comparisons with "incoming" or "outgoing" traffic can confuse because both types of proxies handle requests and responses. Instead, a better way to distinguish between reverse and forward proxy servers is to analyze the requirements of the app you're building.




Reverse proxy is a vital aspect in the design of a method to run web applications on the internet. They act as your servers during any interaction through the Internet.




Forward proxy can be useful to display customers' information to your personal use or even in a workplace. They are a way to display the information of your client when you connect to the internet.




A distinction based upon use case instead of focusing solely on naming conventions that are similar will help avoid confusion.



Conclusion



The article clarified definition of a proxy with two types of them being the reverse and forward proxy. Practical applications as well as an exploration of the beneficial attributes were utilized to determine forward proxies as well as reverse proxy. If you're interested in the role in proxy server, you can learn how to configure Nginx as web server and reverse proxy on Apache on the Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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