The term "proxy" refers to a proxy, also called an application called a proxy, acts in the role of an intermediary server and client over the internet. Without the proxy, a user could send a request to the resource directly to a server and the server would then serve the resource directly back at the requester's. Although this method is easy to grasp and implement, adding proxies offers advantages such as increased performance, privacy, security, and many more. As an additional layer of pass-through, the proxy serves as a security guardian of the internet between servers and clients.

In general, the mixture of the server's hardware with proxy software is often referred too as proxy servers. This article will focus on proxy servers that are typically classified as software when referring to web servers. This article will provide an in-depth breakdown of two kinds: forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each type has its own usage scenario, which is often not understood due to the similar terminology.

This article will provide details about the different types of proxy services, what their subtypes are, and the way they work with a range of configurations. After reading this article, you will be able to recognize the circumstances in which using proxy services is advantageous and pick the right solution between reverse and forward proxy for any particular scenario.

Understanding Forward Proxies

The forward proxy sometimes called an open proxy serves as a representative for a customer who needs to send an internet request to the server that originated it. In this scenario the entire effort to send requests made by the user will be transmitted through the forward proxy. A forward proxy acting as a substitute for the client, will look into the request. Then, it will determine if this client is authorized to send requests using this specific forward proxy. Then, it decides to deny any request or send it to the server that originated it. The client does not have direct access for the web. It is able to access only the information that the forward proxy allows the client to connect.

A common use of forward proxies is increased privacy or security when using the internet. Forward proxy allows access to the internet instead of a client. as such it may use a different IP address than the original IP address of the client.

Depending on how it has been configured depending on how it's set up forward proxy could provide you with different features based on the configuration, which allows you to:

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  Don't fall victim of ad tracking.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  Recognize restrictions based on place of residence.
  
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Forward proxies are also used for security systems that are centralized as well as permission-based access, like at a workplace. If all traffic on the internet passes through an open forward proxy, the administrator can grant just a handful of users connection to internet through the firewall. Instead of creating firewalls on the server layer that could include a variety of devices that operate in different environments and types of users. A firewall may be positioned in this intermediate layer of forward proxy.

It is important to remember that forward proxy servers must be manually set up in order to be used and reverse proxies may not be noticed by the user. Based on the type of IP address of a user is transferred to the server that is originally through the forward proxy Privacy and anonymity can be granted or denied.

There are a variety of possibilities to think about when it comes to forward proxies.

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  Apache A well-known open source web server that offers forward proxy features.
  
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  Nginx: Another popular open-source webserver that comes with forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Squid: A no-cost forward proxy using the HTTP protocol. It doesn't provide the complete web server. You can read our article on how to create Squid proxy to connect privately within Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante is an forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP and HTTP, which makes it more suitable for applications such as peer-to -peer traffic. You can also learn how to configure Dante proxy to allow private connections on Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy is a representative of a web server that handles the incoming requests of clients on its behalf. The web server could comprise servers, or even multiple servers. It could also be an application-server like Gunicorn. In any of these scenarios, the request will come via the web at large. Most of the time requests will then be transmitted directly to the web server with the resources that the user is looking for. Reverse proxy acts as an intermediary, isolating the webserver from direct communications with the open internet.

From the viewpoint of the user, the experience of interacting with reverse proxy is not different than connecting to an internet server directly. It's functionally the same however the client can't discern the difference. The client requests a resource and then receives it without extra configuration required on the part of the client.

Reverse proxies can provide features such as:

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  Centralized security to web server.
  
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  Controlling traffic that is incoming according to rules you have set.
  
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  New caching functionality has been added.
  
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While centralized security is an advantage of both forward and reverse proxy servers. Reverse proxies offer this feature only to the layer of the webserver and not to the client layer. Instead of maintaining firewalls in webserver level, which might contain many servers and various configurations, the majority protection of firewalls is targeted to the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, removing the responsibility of interacting with a firewall and communicating with requests from clients through web servers allows them to concentrate on addressing the requirements of their clients.

In the case of multiple servers running a reverse-proxy the reverse proxy can also handle the direction of which requests are directed towards which servers. Multiple web servers could be running within the same system, offering different types of resources or a mix of both. They can use the HTTP protocol just like a conventional web server, but they can also be equipped with application server protocols such as FastCGI. You can set up a reverse proxy that directs users to a particular server based on the service requested, or to adhere to certain rules regarding the amount of traffic.

Reverse proxies may also benefit by being placed on top of web servers, as they provide the ability to cache. The large static resources can be configured by using caching rules in order to avoid the need to call web servers each time you request. Certain solutions allow you to directly serve static files without having to interact with the webserver at all. Additionally reverse proxy solutions are capable of handling compression of these assets.

The well-known Nginx web server functions as a well-known reverse proxy option. Even though Apache is an alternative to reverse proxy however, the Apache web server does have reverse proxy features however, it's a separate feature available to Apache unlike Nginx was originally designed to and is focused on the reverse proxy feature.

Distinguishing Forward and Reverse Proxy Use The Case

Because "forward" as well as "reverse" are ascribed to a sense of directionality and inaccurate comparisons to "incoming" in addition to "outgoing" traffic the labels can be confusing since both kinds of proxies handle the processing of requests as well as responses. The best way to differentiate between forward and reverse proxy providers is to look at the needs of the application that you are developing.

Reverse proxy can be useful in the development of a solution to offer web-based applications on the internet. They serve as your web servers during any interaction on the web.

Forward proxy can be useful when put in front of users either for personal use or in a workplace setting. They are a representation of your client's traffic every time you connect to the internet.

The practice of segregating by use case, instead of using only common naming conventions can make sure that you don't get confused.

Conclusion

This article will explain the significance of a proxy, focusing on the two primary kinds, namely reverse proxy and forward proxy. Examples of practical use and a look at beneficial features was utilized to distinguish forward proxies and reverse proxies. If you're interested to learn more about the benefits of proxies, then you should read our tutorial for configuring Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy within Apache on one Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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