An proxy is also known by the name of a proxy. is software that acts as an intermediary between a client and server over the internet. If there was no proxy in place, the user would be able to send a request to every resource straight to server and servers would provide the requested resource directly to the user. While this approach is straightforward to comprehend and use the addition of proxy servers may provide benefits including increased performance, privacy and security, and so on. In addition to providing a layer of pass-through, proxies act as a security guard for the internet, separating clients from servers.

The consensus is that the system of hardware for servers, paired with proxy software is commonly referred as proxy servers. However, this article will focus on proxy servers that are typically categorized as software, and more specifically with respect to servers on the internet. We will present a summary of the two primary types of proxies: a forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each has its own usage, which can be confusing due to the identical namestamp.

This article will give you an understanding of different types of proxy and subtypes, and what they can do for common setups. By reading this article, you'll be able to know the scenarios where you may benefit from a proxy and decide on the appropriate option between reverse proxy and forward proxy depending on the circumstance.

Understanding Forward Proxies

Forward proxy sometimes called an open proxy acts as an agent for a user who wants to send a request via the internet to a source server. In this instance, any request made by the client will rather be directed via an forward proxy. A forward proxy acting in position of the customer will examine the request. It first will determine if the client is legally authorized to accept requests from this particular forward proxy. It will then either refuse the request or forward it to the server that originated it. The client is not allowed direct access to the internet; it will only be capable of accessing the information that the forward proxy allows its access.

One of the most 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 in the process, it could use an alternative IP address in comparison to the original IP address used by the client.

Depending on how it's configured depending on how it's configured forward proxy could provide many features that allow you to:

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  Beware of tracking ads.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  Find restrictions based on the geolocation.
  
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Forward proxies are also employed in systems that provide central security and permission based access, such as in a workplace. In the event that all internet traffic passes through a common forward proxy layer administrators are able to restrict access to only certain clients to the internet, which is controlled by a standard firewall. Instead of having firewalls on the client layer, which could include multiple machines with different settings and types of users, the firewall could be placed at on the front proxy layer.

Be aware that forward proxies should be manually set up to use while reverse proxies could be not recognized by the client. According to the kind of IP address the client, it is transmitted to the server which originated it via the forward proxy privacy and security may be made clear.

There are many options to take into consideration when deciding on forward proxy options:

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  Apache is a well-known open-source web server which provides forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Nginx is another well-known open-source webserver which has forward proxy capability.
  
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  Squid: An open forward proxy open source that uses the HTTP protocol. This option doesn't include the entire web server. It is possible to refer to our article on the best way to install Squid proxy to permit private connections on Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante is an forward proxy that utilizes the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP which makes it appropriate for situations such as peer-to-peer traffic. You can also learn how to setup the Dante proxy for connection to private networks in Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy acts as the web server, which takes care of requests from customers on behalf of the server. This server can serve as a one server, or multiple servers. It could also contain an application server such as Gunicorn. In any of these instances, a request would come via the web at large. In the majority of cases the request is made directly to the server, along with the resources the client requires. Reverse proxy acts as an intermediary, segregating your server from communications with the internet's public.

From a consumer's point of the client's point of reverse proxy is not any different than connecting directly to an internet server. It's basically the same, but the client isn't able to discern the difference. The client requests the resource, and it then gets it without any additional configuration needed from the client.

Reverse proxies offer options like:

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  A centralized layer of security that protects the server.
  
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  The direction of traffic that is according to rules you set up.
  
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  A new feature to cache is now available.
  
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Central security is an advantage of both forward and reverse proxy services, reverse proxies give this feature to the server layer, it is not available to the client layer. In lieu of maintaining firewalls at the server layer that could contain multiple servers with different configurations, the majority of firewall security is concentrated on the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, taking the burden of communicating with firewalls and interacting with requests from clients not connected to web servers permits them to focus on only the needs of their customers.

In the event of multiple servers being hosted through a reverse proxy the reverse proxy manages the routing of requests to the server that is hosting them. There could be multiple web servers operating on the same server, serving various kinds of resources, or a mix of the two. They may utilize their HTTP protocol to function as a standard web server, but they could also incorporate applications server protocols like FastCGI. You can create reverse proxy servers to direct clients to particular servers based on the request for source, and to observe certain rules for traffic load.

Reverse proxies also can make use of their positioning before web servers by providing the ability to cache. Large static assets can be managed by caching rules to avoid getting to web servers for each time a request is made. There are options that provide the option of serving static content without needing to connect with the webserver at all. In addition, reverse proxy is able to manage compressing these files.

The renowned Nginx web server has become a very popular reverse proxy choice. While it is true that the Apache web server has a reverse proxy capabilities as an added feature available to Apache but Nginx was originally designed to and focuses on the reverse proxy function.

Differentiating Forward Proxy and reverse Proxy Use Examples

Since "forward" as well as "reverse" are both associated with an impression of directionality and inaccurate comparisons to "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic and could be confusing because both kinds of proxies process requests and response. A better approach to distinguish between forward and reverse proxy servers is to study the needs of the application you're building.

Reverse proxy is a crucial aspect in the design of a method to run websites on the internet. They act as your servers whenever you connect to the Internet.

Forward proxy can be helpful to display customers' information to your personal use or in a work environment. They are a way to display the information of your client every time you interact with them on the internet.

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

Conclusion

The article clarified meaning of a proxy, with two types of them being the forward and the reverse proxy. Practical applications as well as an exploration of beneficial attributes were used to distinguish forward proxies from reverse proxy. If you're interested exploring the role of proxy servers, follow our tutorial on how to set up Nginx as an internet server as well as reverse proxy on Apache in Ubuntu 20.04 Server. Ubuntu 20.04 Server.

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