A proxy is also known as an application called a proxy acts as an intermediary between the server and client on the internet. Without the proxy, a client could submit a request for an online service directly from a server and the server would serve the requested resource directly back to the user. While this approach is straightforward to grasp and implement, adding proxies offers advantages such as increased performance as well as privacy, security and much more. As a pass-through layer, the proxy acts as a security guardian of the internet between clients and servers.

Generally speaking, the combined mixture of the server's hardware with proxy software is commonly called proxy servers. This article will focus on proxies which are generally defined as software, and when referring to web servers. This article will give a detailed breakdown of two types: forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each type of proxy has its own scenario, and is frequently misunderstood because of the identical terminology.

This article will provide you with details about the different types of proxy services, what their subtypes are and the way they work in various configurations. After reading this article, you will be able to identify the circumstances in which the use of proxies is advantageous, and select the most appropriate solution between reverse and forward proxy in any given scenario.

Understanding Forward Proxies

The forward proxy also referred to the open proxy is a proxy for a client who wants to make an internet-based request to the server that originated it. In this case, the entire process of sending requests from the user will instead be sent via the forward proxy. A forward proxy acting as a substitute for the client will take a look at the request. It will then determine if this client is authorized to send requests using this specific forward proxy. Then, it decides to reject any request, or forward it to the source server. The client is not able to have direct connection directly to internet. It can access only the information that forward proxy permits it to access.

A popular use for forward proxies is increased privacy and security when surfing the internet. Forward proxy allows access to the internet on behalf of a client, and by doing this, it could use a different IP address than the IP address used by the client.

Depending on how it has been configured depending on how it's configured, forward proxy may grant you various features depending the way it's configured and enables 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 utilized to secure systems that are centralized and also for access based on permissions in workplaces. If all traffic on the internet passes through an open forward proxy, the administrator is able to grant only a small number of clients connection to internet filtered through the firewall. Instead of creating firewalls on the server layer, which could comprise a range of computers with diverse environments and users. A firewall may be positioned on top of this intermediate layer of forward proxy.

It is essential to note that forward proxies must be manually configured in order to be used, whereas reverse proxies can be hidden from the user. Based on the type of the IP address that the user who is transferred to the server that is originally via the forward proxy Privacy and anonymity could be granted or not.

There are a variety of options to consider for forward proxy services.

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  Apache An open source well-known web server that offers forward proxy functions.
  
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  Nginx: Another widely used open-source web server with forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Squid: A free forward proxy using an HTTP protocol. Squid doesn't include the full web server. We have an article about the best method to build a Squid proxy to connect privately on Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante is forward proxy which uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP and HTTP, making it more suitable for applications like peer-to-peer communication. You can also check out how to set up Dante proxy to allow private connections in Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy is a representative of a web server, which handles any requests that come in from clients on behalf of. The web server may include one or more servers. Also, it could become an application-server like Gunicorn. In either of these scenarios the request will originate from the web in general. In most cases requests will then be sent directly to the webserver with the resources that the user is seeking. Reverse proxy acts as an intermediary, isolating the webserver from direct communications via the open internet.

From the viewpoint of a user the experience of using a reverse proxy is no different than connecting to an internet server direct. It's functionally the same however the user is unable to discern the difference. The client requests an item and receives it, with no extra configuration required by the client.

Reverse proxies provide features like:

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  Centralized security to web server.
  
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  Directing incoming traffic by implementing rules that you establish.
  
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  New functionality added for caching.
  
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While central security is a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy servers. Reverse proxies offer this feature only to the layer of the webserver, not the client layer. instead of the maintenance of firewalls at the web server layer, which might contain many servers with different configurations, the bulk of firewall security is targeted at the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, the removal of the burden of interacting with a firewall and connecting with requests from customers via web servers allows them to concentrate on addressing the needs of their customers.

If there are multiple servers using reverse-proxies, the reverse proxy also handles the direction of which requests are directed towards which servers. Multiple web servers may be running within the same system, providing various kinds of resources or a combination of both. They can use the HTTP protocol like a traditional web server, but they could also be outfitted with applications server protocols, like FastCGI. You can set up reverse proxy servers that redirect users to a particular server according to the service requested, or to adhere to a set of rules for the traffic load.

Reverse proxies also gain by their position over web servers as they offer the ability to cache. Large static assets can be set up with caching rules to avoid needing to connect with web servers every time. Some solutions allowing you to directly serve static content without having to interact with the webserver at all. Additionally, the reverse proxy is able to handle the compression of these assets.

The well-known Nginx web server functions as an extremely popular reverse proxy option. Although Apache is a reverse proxy service however, the Apache web server also comes with reverse proxy functions, but it's an additional feature that is available to Apache in contrast to Nginx was designed initially to and is focused upon the feature of reverse proxy.

Differentiating Forward Proxy from reverse Proxy Use The Case

Because "forward" as well as "reverse" are both associated with an impression of directionality and false comparisons with "incoming" in addition to "outgoing" traffic the names could be confusing because both types of proxy services handle requests and responses. The most effective way to distinguish between reverse and forward proxy is to look at the requirements of the app you're developing.

A reverse proxy is useful when you are developing a solution that can deliver web-based apps over the internet. They act as your web server during any interaction on the internet.

Forward proxy is helpful when put in front of users either for personal use, or even in the workplace. They represent your client's traffic when you use the internet.

The practice of separating by use case rather than focusing solely on the most common naming conventions will ensure that you don't get confused.

Conclusion

This article explains the meaning of a proxy, focusing on the two major kinds, namely forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical examples of how to use them as well as a review of the advantageous features were utilized to distinguish forward proxies from reverse proxy. If you're keen to learn more about the benefits of proxies, then 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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