A proxy, also known as a proxy, also known as a proxy server often referred to as a proxy server, is software which functions as mediator between client and server over the internet. Without a proxy, a client would make a request resources directly to a server and it would serve that resource to its user directly. While this process is simple to comprehend and implement with proxies, it can offer benefits in terms of increased performance and privacy, security and more. As an additional layer of protection proxy, it acts as a gatekeeper to the internet between servers and clients.

The general combination of server hardware and proxy software is often called a proxy server. In this article, we'll concentrate on proxy servers that are typically described as software, and in the context of web servers. We will provide a description of the two main types of proxy servers: a forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Each kind has its own application, and is frequently confused due to the similar name convention.

This article will give you an understanding of different types of proxy and what their subtypes are, as well as their significance in standard setups. After reading this article, you'll be able to understand what circumstances in which an effective proxy could be useful and pick the right solution in between reverse and forward proxy depending on the circumstance.

Understanding Forward Proxies

A forward proxy also called an open proxy serves as an intermediary for clients who are trying to transmit a request over the internet to a source server. In this case every request sent by the user will be sent straight through forward-proxy. A forward proxy acting in the client's stead, will review the request. First, it will decide if the client's permitted to receive requests from this particular forward proxy. Then, it will deny any request, or redirect it to the original server. The client does not have connection to any internet. It is able to access only the web pages that forward proxy grants it access to.

The most popular applications of forward proxies is to increase privacy or security while using the internet. A forward proxy uses the internet as the client and in this process it can use an alternate IP address in addition to the client's original IP address.

Based on how it was configured, based on the way it's configured, forward proxy may offer different features depending upon the configuration that allow users to:

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  Stay clear of tracking ads.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  You will be able to identify any restrictions based on your geographical place of residence.
  
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Forward proxies can also be used in systems that provide central security and access to users based on permissions, for instance at an office. The entire internet can be passed via an open forward proxy. an administrator is able to limit access to specific users to the internet, which is protected by a standard firewall. In lieu of having firewalls for the client layer that may include multiple computers with different configurations and users you can install a firewall at the front proxy layer.

Be aware that forward proxy settings must be manually configured for use, but reverse proxies are likely to be not considered in the eyes of the user. Based on the fact that an IP address belonging to a user is sent to the server where it came from by the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity may be granted or hidden.

There are a variety of options to consider for forward proxy options:

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  Apache is an well-known open-source web server that provides forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Nginx: Another popular open-source server used for web hosting with forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Squid is an open-source forward proxy that uses an HTTP protocol. It's not the entire web server. Read our tutorial on how to install Squid proxy to connect privately in Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante is a forward proxy that makes use of the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP to make it better to handle peer-to-peer traffic. You might also want to look at how you can set up Dante proxy to allow connection to private networks in Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy is the web server, which takes care of incoming requests from customers on its behalf. The web server could represent a single, or multiple servers. It may even be an application server such as Gunicorn. In any of these situations the request for an application is received from a user via the internet. The majority of the time the request will be sent directly to the server with the resources the client is requesting. A reverse proxy functions as an intermediary and isolates your server from interaction with the internet's open.

From the viewpoint of the individual client's perspective the procedure of using reverse proxy is similar to using a Web server to communicate in direct contact. It's the same thing and the client is unable to tell the difference. The client makes a request for a resource, which is then followed by the receipt without the need for any extra configuration required by the end user.

Reverse proxies offer functions like:

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  A central layer of security to protect the server.
  
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  Incoming traffic is directed on the rules you decide to define.
  
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  New functionality added for caching.
  
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While central security is a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy, reverse proxies apply this function to only the server layer but not to the client layer. instead of being focused on maintenance of firewalls at the server level which can contain a variety of servers and different configurations, the majority of the firewall security is targeted on the reverse proxy level. Additionally, removing the responsibility of communicating with firewalls and communicating with requests from clients far from web servers enables them to focus on serving the requirements of their clients.

If there are multiple servers existing through reverse proxy, the reverse proxy is also responsible for directing which requests are routed through which server. There may be several web servers providing the same content, each offering different kinds of services or a mixture of both. They could be running the HTTP protocol that is the standard web server, but they can also incorporate different protocols for applications servers such as FastCGI. You can also configure reverse proxy settings to direct users to a particular server based on the resource requested or to comply with specific guidelines for the amount of traffic.

Reverse proxies also take advantage of their location over web servers, by providing the ability to cache data. Large static assets can be set up using caching rules to prevent hitting web servers on every request. Certain applications allow users to serve static content directly without contacting servers on the internet in any manner. In addition the reverse proxy is able to handle compressing these assets.

The popular Nginx web server can also function as a well-known reverse proxy service. However, a similar feature within the Apache web server, it does include reverse proxy functions as an added option that is accessible for Apache whereas Nginx was originally designed for and is specifically designed for reverse proxy functions.

Differentiating Forward Proxy from Reverse Proxy Use Situations

Since "forward" in addition to "reverse" are associated with directionality, as well as misleading comparisons to "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic These labels could be confusing as both kinds of proxies process requests and responses. Better yet, the best method of separating between a forward and reverse proxy is to study the requirements of the app you're creating.

A reverse proxy can be helpful when building a solution to serve web applications on the internet. They represent your web servers when you interact with the internet.

Forward proxy are beneficial when they are placed before customers for your own usage or in a corporate setting. They are a representation of your customer's traffic in any interactions via the internet.

The use case-based differentiation instead of focusing solely on common naming conventions can aid in eliminating confusion.

Conclusion

In this article, we explained what a proxy is, and compared it to the two most common kinds that are forward and reverse proxy. Practical applications as well as a review of the attributes that are beneficial were used to distinguish forward proxies as well as reverse proxies. If you're interested to learn more about the implementation of proxy servers You can read our tutorial on how you can set up Nginx as a reverse and web server proxy on Apache on one Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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