The term "proxy" is a reference to the concept of a proxy or proxy server, a software which acts to act as an intermediary for a client and server on the internet. Without the use of a proxy, a user would make a request resources direct to the server while the server will then provide the requested resource directly for the client. While this approach is straightforward to comprehend and utilize, adding proxies offers advantages such as enhanced performance, privacy, security, and many more. As a further layer of pass-through, the proxy serves as a security guardian of the internet between clients and servers.

Generally speaking, the bundled equipment of servers with the installed proxy software is often referred to as a proxy server. This article will concentrate on proxies typically considered to be software, and specifically with regard to servers on the internet. This article will give details of the two main types of proxies, which are forward proxy and the reverse. reverse proxy. Each type has a different usage scenario, which is often misunderstood due to the similar terms.

This article will provide you with the information on what proxies are and what their subtypes are and the way they work in various configurations. In this article, you'll be able to recognize the situations where it is beneficial to use a proxy and choose the correct solution between forward and reverse proxy, in any scenario.

Understanding Forward Proxies

The forward proxy often referred to as an open proxy, is a means of intermediary to allow a user to make a connection via the internet to an source server. In this scenario, the entire process of sending requests from the user will instead be made via the forward proxy. This forward proxy acting on behalf as the customer, is able to examine at the request. At the beginning, it will decide whether this client is able to accept requests from this specific forward proxy. It will then reject requests or redirect them to the original server. The client isn't allowed an internet connection directly. It has access to only what forward proxy allows the client to connect.

The most common reason for using forward proxies is to gain more privacy or security when using the internet. A forward proxy accesses the internet as a client and it may use an alternative IP address in addition to the initial IP address of the client.

Based on the way it has been configured according to the way it was configured forward proxy may provide a variety of functions and allow you to:

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  Do not click on ads that track you.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  Find limitations based on your location.
  
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Forward proxies also are used in systems of centralized security and permission-based access like in workplaces. If all internet traffic flows through an open forward proxy layer an administrator can grant access only to a select group of individuals to access the web, and this is blocked by a common firewall. Instead of establishing firewalls for the client layer, which can be used by several computers with different configurations and users and settings, firewalls can be installed at the layer that forwards proxy traffic.

It is important to remember that forward proxy servers must be configured manually and reverse proxies can not be noticed by the user. Depending on the type the IP address that a user is transmitted to the server where it was received through the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity could be granted or not.

There are many options to consider for forward proxy possibilities:

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  Apache A well-known, open-source web server, that can provide forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Nginx: Another well-known open source server for hosting websites with forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Squid is an open source forward proxy that uses the HTTP protocol. It's not the entire webserver system. It is possible to refer to our step-by-step guide to set up Squid proxy to enable private connections within Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante Forward Proxy which uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP which allows it to be better suited for usage in situations like peer-topeer traffic. It is also possible to learn how to setup an Dante proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy serves as an intermediary to a web server, handling any requests that come in from customers on its behalf. This web server can serve as a one server, or multiple servers. It could also serve for application servers, such as Gunicorn. In any case it is possible to send a request from the Internet at large. In most cases the request will be sent directly to the server and include the information the user is looking for. Reverse proxy, however, acts as an intermediary, securing the server from direct contact with the internet's open.

From a user's point of perception, the experience with reverse proxy isn't a lot different than using the server by itself. It's exactly the same thing, however the client isn't able to tell the distinction. The client is able to request the resource, and is then provided with it, with no additional configuration needed by the client.

Reverse proxy providers provide options like:

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  Centralized security for the web server layer.
  
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  Traffic coming into your site is routed according to the rules you establish.
  
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  The caching function is now available to users.
  
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While centralized security is an advantage of both forward and reverse proxy services, reverse proxy providers this feature for the Web server layer but not the client layer. Instead of maintaining firewalls at Web server layers, which could include several servers that have different configurations, most of firewall security can be focused at reverse proxy layers. Furthermore eliminating the burden of interacting with firewalls and responding to requests from clients outside of web servers lets them focus on delivering the needs of their customers.

If there are multiple servers operating through a reverse proxy the reverse proxy also takes care of directing the flow of requests to each server. There could be multiple web servers that provide the identical service, but each providing different kinds of resources, or a mixture of both. These servers can be using the HTTP protocol to function as a traditional web server. But, they may also be using application server protocols like FastCGI. You can set up a reverse proxy to direct users to a specific server based on the service being requested, or to follow specific guidelines for traffic load.

Reverse proxies also have the ability to benefit from their positioning prior to web servers by offering the capability to store data. The large static files can be set with caching rules to ensure that they avoid the web server from getting hit every time a request is made. Certain software solutions let you upload static files directly, without connecting to the web server in any way. In addition the reverse proxy can handle the compression of these files.

The well-known Nginx web server can also be a reliable reverse proxy solution. Although Nginx, the Apache web server has reverse proxy features, it is an additional option for Apache and Nginx was initially designed and is specifically focused on reverse proxy features.

Differentiating Forward and Reverse Proxy Use The Case

Because "forward" or "reverse" have connotations of directionality, and false connections with "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic, the labels could be confusing as both kinds of proxy are able to handle requests and responses. Another method of separating between forward and reverse proxy is to study the requirements of the application you're creating.

A reverse proxy can be beneficial when designing an application to run web-based applications via the internet. They act as your web server for all interactions over the internet.

Forward proxy can be useful when it is placed in front of customers either for personal use, or in a corporate environment. They are a representation of the customer's data when you interact with them on the internet.

Differentiating by case of use instead of focusing solely on standard names can help in avoidance of confusion.

Conclusion

The article explained the purpose of a proxy with two kinds: the forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Practical use cases along with an examination of useful attributes were used to identify the two types of proxies which are reverse and forward. If you're interested to learn more about the advantages of proxies, then we recommend you read our tutorial on how to configure Nginx for use as a web server as well as reverse proxy in Apache on an Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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