A proxy, also known as a proxy also referred to the proxy server, is software that acts as a mediator between client and server on the internet. Without proxy, a user would make a request resources directly to a server, and it will serve that resource to its user directly. While this process is simple to comprehend and implement using proxies, it can bring benefits in the form of enhanced performance as well as privacy, security and many more. In addition to providing a layer of security proxy, it acts as a security guard to the internet between servers and clients.

In general, the bundle of server hardware and proxy software is often referred to as proxy servers. In this post, we'll concentrate on proxy servers which are usually defined as software, and within the context of web servers. This article will give a detailed breakdown of the two major kinds of proxy servers: the forward proxy as well as a reverse proxy. Each has its own use case, often confused due to the similar name convention.

This article will provide you with an idea of the different types of proxy and what their subtypes are, as well as their significance in common setups. After reading the article you'll understand how to identify the circumstances that a good proxy is beneficial and pick the right alternative between reverse and forward proxy depending on the circumstance.

Understanding Forward Proxies

A forward proxy also called an open proxy, also known as an open serves as an intermediary for the client who is trying to connect via the internet to an source server. In this scenario, every request made by the client will be routed directly via forward-proxy. A forward proxy acting in the client's stead, will review the request. It will first determine if the client is permitted be able to accept requests through this specific forward proxy. It will then reject any request or forward it to the original server. The client does not have directly access to internet. It can access only the web pages that the forward proxy allows it access to.

The most common applications of forward proxies is to improve privacy or security when using the internet. Forward proxy makes use of the internet as a client, and in that process, it uses an alternative IP address for the original IP address of the client.

Based on how it was configured, based on the configuration forward proxy can provide a range of features depending upon the configuration, which allows you to:

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  Stay clear of tracking ads.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  You can identify restrictions based on your geographical location.
  
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Forward proxies are also utilized in systems that offer central security and permission-based access, like at the workplace. Internet traffic can go via an open forward proxy. an administrator is able to restrict access to only certain clients on the internet that is protected by an common firewall. Instead of having firewalls on the client layer, which can include multiple devices with different configurations and users you can install an firewall that is located in the front proxy layer.

Note that forward proxy settings should be manually set up to be used, however reverse proxies will be not considered by the client. Depending on whether the IP address of the user is sent to the server from which it originated by the forward proxy privacy and anonymity may be granted or kept secret.

There are many choices to be considered for forward proxy:

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  Apache is an well-known open-source web server, that offers forward-looking proxy features.
  
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  Nginx: Another well-known open-source web hosting server that has forward proxy features.
  
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  Squid: An open-source forward proxy that utilizes an HTTP protocol. It's not the whole web server. Check out our guide on how to install Squid proxy to connect privately within Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante is an forward proxy which utilizes the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP to make it more suited for cases like peer-to-peer traffic. You might also want to know how to configure Dante proxy for secure connections within Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy is the web server which handles all requests received from customers on behalf of. The web server may represent a single or multiple servers. It could even be an application server, such as Gunicorn. In any of these cases, an application request comes from a user via the internet. In most cases requests are directed directly to the server along with the information that the client is requesting. However, a reverse proxy acts as an intermediary and isolates your server from interaction with the internet's open.

From the point of view of the individual client's viewpoint reverse proxy is a process that reverse proxy is similar to using a Web server to communicate in direct communication. It's exactly the same, and the client cannot tell the distinction. Client requests an item, and it is followed by its receipt without the need for any additional configuration needed for the end-user.

Reverse proxy providers offer functions like:

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  A centralized layer of security that protects the server.
  
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  Incoming traffic is directed based on the rules you determine.
  
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  New functionality added for caching.
  
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Although centralized security is an advantage of both reverse and forward proxy, reverse proxies apply this for just the layer of web servers but not the client layer. instead of being focused on maintenance of firewalls at the server level which could contain multiple servers and various configurations, the majority of firewall security is targeted at the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, the elimination of the responsibility of interacting with firewalls as well as communicating with requests from clients far from web servers permits them to focus on serving the requirements of their clients.

In the event of multiple servers that are connected via a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy also is responsible to direct which requests go via which server. There could be multiple web servers offering the same content, each providing different services or a mixture of the two. These servers can be using the HTTP protocol that is a standard web server, but they can also incorporate different protocols for application servers like FastCGI. You can also set up reverse proxy servers to redirect visitors to specific server depending on the resource requested or to adhere to specific guidelines on the volume of traffic.

Reverse proxies also take advantage of their location on top of web servers, as they have the capability to store information. Large static assets can be configured with caching policy to avoid the web server from being hit with every request. Certain applications allow users to directly serve static assets without contacting the web server in any way. Furthermore the reverse proxy is able to manage compressing these assets.

The well-known Nginx web server also functions as a popular reverse proxy service. While there is similar functionality in the Apache web server, it does include reverse proxy capabilities as an added option that is accessible for Apache however Nginx was designed originally for and is focused on the reverse proxy feature.

Distinguishing Forward and Reverse Proxy Use Cases

Since "forward" in addition to "reverse" are associated with directionality and misleading comparisons with "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic The labels can be confusing since both types of proxies process requests and responses. The best method to differentiate between the reverse and forward proxy types is to research the specifications of the application you're developing.

Reverse proxy is beneficial when you are developing a solution to serve web applications on the internet. They act as your web servers whenever you connect to the internet.

Forward proxy can be helpful when displayed before customers for your own usage, or even in a corporate setting. They represent your client traffic in any interactions via the internet.

A case-based distinction instead of focusing on the standard naming conventions could help in eliminating confusion.

Conclusion

In this article, we explained what aproxy is and the two primary types of proxy: the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical applications as well as a review of the attributes that are beneficial were used to determine forward proxies and reverse proxies. If you're looking to know more about implementation of proxies, you can check out our tutorial on how you can configure Nginx as a reverse proxy and webserver proxy using Apache on one Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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