The term "proxy" refers to a proxy or proxy server is piece of software which acts as an intermediary for a client and server on the internet. Without proxy servers, a user would send a request for resources directly to a server and it would deliver the resource directly to the user. Although this method is easy to understand and implement, however, adding proxy servers can bring advantages including improved performance as well as privacy, security and many more. As an additional layer of pass-through the proxy functions as a guardian to the internet, separating clients from servers.

Generally speaking, the bundled system of server hardware that is paired with installed proxy software is also commonly called a proxy server. This article will focus on the proxies that are usually described as software and in the context of web servers. The article will provide a detailed discussion of two types of proxies, one being forward proxy and the other being a forward proxy and the other a reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each kind of proxy has its own purpose and is often confused due to the resemblance of namesake convention.

This article will give you an understanding of different subtypes and proxies and their value for common setups. After reading the article carefully, you'll be able understand the situations when using proxies can be beneficial, and you can then select the best choice between reverse proxy and forward proxy, based on the circumstances.

Understanding Forward Proxies

Forward proxy also known in the context of open proxy. An open proxy is the agent of a user who would like to make an internet-based request to an the server that originated it. In this scenario, all attempts to send requests made by the client's side will be routed directly to the forward proxy. Forward proxy in place of the client will examine the request. It will first find out if the client is authorized to accept requests from this specific forward proxy. It will then reject any request, or redirect it to the origin server. The client is not able to have an internet connection directly It can only access what forward proxy permits it to access.

The most popular reason for using forward proxy servers is to increase privacy or security when surfing the web. Forward proxy's access to the internet as clients, and, in this manner, it could utilize an IP address distinct from the original IP of the client.

Depending on how it's been configured the forward proxy will give you a range of options as well as the ability to:

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  Beware of ads-trackers.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  Find restrictions that are based on the location you are in.
  
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Forward proxies also are employed in systems that offer central security and access to users based on permissions, for instance in workplaces. When all internet traffic flows through a common forward proxy Administrators are able to allow only specific clients to access the internet via a common firewall. Instead of having firewalls for the client layer that may include multiple computers with different settings, environment, a firewall can be installed in an forward proxy layer.

It is crucial to keep in mind to set forward proxy preferences have to be manually set up to permit the forward proxy to function for use and reverse proxies are able to not be detected by the user. Based on whether or not an IP address belonging to a user is passed on to the origin server via the forward proxy privacy and security may be granted or not.

There are numerous options to consider for forward proxy alternatives:

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  Apache An open source well-known web server with forward proxy features.
  
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  Nginx: Another renowned open-source server for web hosting that has forward proxy functions.
  
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  Squid: A no-cost forward proxy that uses the HTTP protocol. It's not the entire Web Server System. We recommend our article on the most efficient method of configuring Squid proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante Forward proxy that makes use of the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP and HTTP, making it better suited for scenarios such as peer-to-peer communication. You can also learn how to configure Dante proxy for secure connections within Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy acts as an intermediary for a web server, and takes care of requests from clients for the web server. The web server can serve as a one server or multiple servers. It could also serve as an application server such as Gunicorn. In any case an application request is made by a user on the internet at large. The request will typically go directly to the server that hosts the information that the user is looking for. Reverse proxy, however, serves as an intermediary in order to block your website server from communication with the internet's open.

From a consumer's point of perspective, using reverse proxy doesn't differ from communicating with Web server in direct contact. It's functionally identical, but the user cannot tell the difference. The client requests an item and gets it with no additional configuration needed for the end user.

Reverse proxy providers provide features like:

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  The server on the internet is protected centrally.
  
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  Sending traffic to be directed according to rules you set.
  
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  A new feature for caching has been added.
  
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While centralized security can be a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy, reverse proxies do this function only for the web server layer and not to the client layer. instead of the maintenance of firewalls for Web server layers that may comprise multiple servers that have different configurations, the bulk in firewall protection is aimed at the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, removing the burden of interfacing with a firewall and interacting with clients' requests off of web servers enables them to concentrate on serving the resources.

If there are multiple servers existing with a reverse-proxy in place, the reverse proxy is also accountable for deciding what requests go at the server. There may be several web servers running within the server each serving different types of resources or a mixture of the two. These servers could use the HTTP protocol, which is similar to a traditional web server. They can also include applications server protocols such as FastCGI. You can also set up reverse proxy settings to redirect clients to specific servers depending on the service being requested, or to observe certain traffic load rules.

Reverse proxies can also benefit from their position on top of web servers through the capability of caching. The large static files can be configured with caching rules in order to avoid hitting web servers with every request, with some solutions even allowing you to provide static files in a direct manner without linking directly to the website server. Furthermore, the reverse proxy is able to handle compression of these assets.

The popular Nginx webserver is a wildly popular reverse proxy service. However, it's not a reverse proxy, the Apache web server also comes equipped with reverse proxy function as an added feature that is available for Apache while Nginx was designed initially for and specifically focused on the reverse proxy feature.

Differentiating Forward Proxy from Reverse Proxy Use Cases

Because "forward" in addition to "reverse" are both associated with a sense of directionality as well as inaccurate comparisons to "incoming" in addition to "outgoing" traffic, these labels can be confusing, because both types of proxies can manage requests and responses. An alternative method to differentiate between reverse and forward proxy servers would be to analyze the specifications of the software you are developing.

Reverse proxy is an effective tool when you are creating a solution for serving applications that are on the web. They act as your servers when you interact with the Internet.

Forward proxy can be useful to use when you are facing clients for personal usage or in a business environment. They are a representation of your traffic when you are on the internet.

A distinction based on usage cases instead of focusing on the common names can help in getting rid of confusion.

Conclusion

The article explained what a proxy is and the two kinds of proxy being the reverse proxy and forward proxy. Examples of how to use them and a discussion of most effective features were utilized to differentiate forward proxies from reverse proxies. If you'd like to explore the ways to use proxies, we recommend you read our tutorial on how to configure Nginx as an reverse proxy and internet server on Apache running the Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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