proxy, also known as a proxy or proxy server a server software that sits acting as an intermediary between client and server over the internet. Without an intermediary, a user would make a request for something directly to a server, and servers would serve the resource directly back to the user. Although this approach is simple to understand and use, adding proxies offers advantages such as increased security, performance, privacy and more. As a pass-through layer proxy acts as a gatekeeper of the internet between servers and clients.

In general, the bundled bundle of server hardware that includes proxy software is described as proxy servers. But, this article will focus on proxy servers that are typically understood as software, and those used together with web servers. We will present a summary of the two primary kinds, namely a forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Each type has its own unique usage scenario, which is frequently misunderstood due to the identical terms.

This article will give you an understanding of what proxy services and their subtypes are, as being able to explain how they can be useful in the common configurations. Through this article, you can identify the situations in which you can benefit from a proxy, and identify the most suitable alternative between reverse and forward proxy for any particular situation.

Understanding Forward Proxies

Forward proxy often known as open proxy, also known as open proxy is an agent of users who want to send a request through the internet to an the server which originated the request. In this case, it's the case that all requests made by the client would rather be directed direct towards the forward proxy. This forward proxy acting in place of the client will look over the request. It will determine whether the client can accept requests via this particular forward proxy. Then, it will either refuse requests or redirect it to the source server. The client is not able to have an internet connection directly It can only access what the forward proxy gives the client access.

The most common reason to utilize forward proxy servers is to increase privacy or security on the internet. A forward proxy is able to connect to the internet on behalf of clients. In the process, it'll use a different IP address than the original IP address used by the client.

Based on the way it has been configured in accordance with the way it was set up forward proxy may grant you various features and the capability to:

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  Avoid tracking ads.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  You can identify restrictions based upon your geographic location.
  
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Forward proxies are also employed in systems that offer central security and access to users based on their permissions, for instance at work. In the event that all traffic on the internet is routed by an open forward proxy, an administrator is able to restrict access to certain users to the internet. The web is then filtered by a typical firewall. Instead of having firewalls installed for the client layer which can comprise a range of devices that are different in terms of user and environment A firewall can be installed at an intermediate layer.

Be aware that forward proxies need to be manually setup before they can be utilized in order to be used in a reverse proxy, whereas forward proxy's are able to be seen by users. Depending on whether an IP address for a user is passed to the server which originated it via the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity can be granted or made transparent.

There are a variety of possibilities to consider for forward proxies:

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  Apache An open source, well-known web server with forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Nginx: Another well-known open source server for web hosting that has forward proxy capability.
  
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  Squid: A free forward proxy that uses the HTTP protocol. It's not a complete web server service. Take a look at our guide on how to configure Squid proxy to allow private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante Forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol rather than HTTP to ensure it is more suitable for scenarios such as peer-to -peer traffic. It is also possible to look at how you can configure Dante proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy functions as an agent for a web server that handles the incoming requests of clients on its behalf. The web server can be one server or several servers. Additionally, it can represent an application servers such as Gunicorn. In any of these situations an application request comes by a user who is on the internet. Most of the time, the request will go directly to the website server that hosts the data the user is looking for. However reverse proxy serves as an intermediary in order to shield Web server from any direct interactions with the internet's open.

From the perspective of a user's viewpoint, interfacing with reverse proxy is not anything different than working with a Web server directly. It is functionally the same as the web server, and the client cannot tell the difference. The client is able to request the resource, and is then given it without any additional configuration on the part of the client.

Reverse proxy providers provide certain features, such as:

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  Centrally secured for Web Server Layer.
  
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  Controlling traffic that is incoming by implementing rules that you establish.
  
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  The caching functionality was added to the application.
  
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While centralized security is a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy, reverse proxies apply this for the web server layer, and not the client layer. Instead of focusing on the maintenance of firewalls within the web server layer that can include multiple servers that are configured differently, most of firewall security is focused on the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, the elimination of the responsibility to interact with a firewall and connecting with requests from customers off of web servers enables them to concentrate on delivering the needs of their customers.

If there are multiple servers running through a reverse proxy the reverse proxy may also be accountable for the direction of which requests are routed through which server. There may be several web servers hosting identical resources, but each offering different types of resources or a combination of both. These servers may be running the HTTP protocol to serve as a standard web server, however they could also include applications server protocols like FastCGI. You can create reverse proxy servers to redirect visitors to specific servers based on the kind of resource they're searching for, or to follow certain guidelines regarding traffic load.

Reverse proxies also can make use of their position before web servers by delivering the ability to cache. Large static assets are capable of being configured with caching rules to prevent the web server from being hit on every request. There are solutions that provide the option of providing static files without having to connect to the web server in any way. Additionally, the reverse proxy can manage compression of these assets.

The renowned Nginx website server a very popular reverse proxy option. Although Apache has a reverse proxy solution however, the Apache web server is also equipped with a reverse proxy feature, which is a distinct characteristic of Apache However, Nginx was initially designed and focused on the reverse proxy function.

The distinction in Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Situations

Since "forward" or "reverse" are both associated with directionality, they can also lead to inaccurate comparisons to "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic. They can cause confusion since both types of proxy can respond to requests as well as responses. The best method to differentiate between reverse and forward proxies is to examine the requirements of the application you're building.

A reverse proxy can be helpful when building a solution to deliver web applications to the internet. They serve as your servers whenever you connect to the internet.

Forward proxy can be useful when it is put in front of the client for your personal use, or even in a working environment. They serve as the proxy for your client when you use the internet.

Distinguishing by use case rather than focusing solely on similar naming conventions will make sure that you don't get confused.

Conclusion

This article clarified what a proxy is with two types of proxy, namely the forward proxy as well as the reverse proxy. Practical applications and an examination of the benefits were utilized to differentiate between forward and reverse proxies. If you're interested in knowing more about the implementation of proxies, you should read our tutorial on how to configure Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy in Apache on an Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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