A proxy, also known as a proxy is also known for its role as a proxy. is software that acts to act as an intermediary for a client and server on the internet. In the absence of a proxy server, a user could send a request for every resource straight to server and servers would serve the requested resource directly to the user. Although this method is easy to comprehend and use, 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 pass-through, proxies act as a guardian for the internet between clients and servers.

The general consensus is that the system of hardware for servers, paired with proxy software is also often called proxy servers. But, this article will focus on proxies traditionally defined as software, and specifically in relation to servers on the internet. We will present a summary of the two major types of proxy services that are a forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each type has a different usage, which can be confusing due to the same name convention.

This article will give you an idea of types of proxies, their subtypes, and what they can do for common setups. By reading this article you'll understand the situations when you may benefit by a proxy and make the right option between reverse proxy and forward proxy depending on the circumstance.

Understanding Forward Proxies

Forward proxy, also known as open proxy, sometimes referred to as open proxy acts as an agent for the user who wishes to make a request over the internet to a source server. In this case every request made by the client will rather be directed via the forward proxy. A forward proxy in the position of the customer will examine the request. It first will determine if the client is authorized to accept requests through this particular forward proxy. Then, it will either deny any request, or redirect it to the server that originated it. The client will not be allowed directly access to internet. it can only be able to access the information that the forward proxy allows the access.

A very common reasons for forward proxy is increased privacy or security on the internet. Forward proxy connects to the internet in lieu of a specific client and can use another IP address in comparison to the original IP address used by the client.

Depending on how it's configured depending on how it's set up forward proxy could provide various options and let you:

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  Beware of tracking ads.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  Determine restrictions based on location.
  
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Forward proxies are also employed in systems to offer central security as well as permission-based access, such as at a workplace. In the event that all internet traffic flows through an open forward proxy layer, an administrator is able to permit only certain users access to the internet. The web is controlled by a standard firewall. Instead of having firewalls on the client layer that could comprise a variety of machines with various settings and types of users, the firewall could be placed at the front proxy layer.

Keep in mind that forward proxy servers must be manually set up to use, while reverse proxy servers could be ignored from the clients. According to the type of IP address of the client, it is transmitted to the server that originated it via the forward proxy security and privacy can be made transparent.

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

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  Apache is a well-known open-source web server that provides forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Nginx is another popular open-source webserver that includes forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Squid: 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 how for installing Squid proxy to permit private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante is a forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP this makes it more appropriate for situations such as peer-to-peer communication. You can also check out how to configure the Dante proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy is the web server that handles requests from customers on its behalf. This server can serve as a one server, or a number of servers. In addition, it could include an application servers, like Gunicorn. In all of these scenarios the request will be made via the web in general. Most of the time the request is made directly to the web server, along with the resources the client requires. Reverse proxy acts as an intermediary, separating your web server from communication with the web's public.

From the point of the client's point of reverse proxy use is not any different than connecting directly to an internet server. It's functionally the same but clients aren't aware of the distinction. The client requests the resource and then gets it, with no additional configuration needed from the client.

Reverse proxy providers offer features such as:

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  A central layer of security that protects the server.
  
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  The direction of traffic that is according to rules you can establish.
  
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  A new feature to cache has been added.
  
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Although central security is a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy services, reverse proxy providers provide this feature only to only the server layer, only the layer that clients use. Instead of focusing on the maintenance of firewalls at the server level which could include multiple servers and various configurations, the majority of firewall security can be directed at the reverse proxy layer. In addition, eliminating the responsibility of dealing with firewalls as well as interacting with requests from clients not connected to web servers lets them focus solely on meeting the requirements of their customers.

If there are multiple servers hosted by reverse proxy it also is responsible for routing requests to the servers. There could be multiple web servers operating on the same server, serving different types of resources or a combination of both. They may use the HTTP protocol for functioning as a normal web server, however they can additionally include application server protocols such as FastCGI. You can create reverse proxy servers to direct clients to particular servers according to the requested service, or observe certain rules for traffic volume.

Reverse proxies can also utilize their positioning before web servers, by providing the ability to cache. Large static files can be set with caching rules that prevent reaching web servers each time a request is made. There are options that provide the option of serving static content directly without having to connect with a webserver. Furthermore, reverse proxy can handle compressing these assets.

The well-known Nginx webserver is known as a wildly popular reverse proxy option. While it is true that it is true that the Apache web server is able to use the ability to reverse proxy as an additional feature that is available to Apache However, Nginx was designed originally to and focuses on reverse proxy functionality.

Differentiating Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Examples

Because "forward" as well as "reverse" are both associated with a sense of directionality and inaccurate comparisons to "incoming" or "outgoing" traffic can be confusing since both kinds of proxy servers process requests and response. Instead, a better way to differentiate between forward and reverse proxy servers is to analyze the requirements of the app that you are building.

Reverse proxy is a crucial aspect in the design of a method to run web applications on the internet. They serve as servers when you interact with the Internet.

Forward proxy is useful in displaying customer information for your own use, or in a work environment. They are a way to display the information of your client when you connect to the internet.

A distinction based upon use cases instead of focusing on similar naming conventions can help avoid confusion.

Conclusion

This article clarified the definition of a proxy. There are two types, the reverse and forward proxy. Practical applications as well as an exploration of beneficial attributes were used to distinguish forward proxies from reverse proxies. If you're interested in the role of proxy servers, learn how you can configure Nginx as a web server and reverse proxy within Apache in Ubuntu 20.04 Server. Ubuntu 20.04 Server.

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