A proxy, also known as a proxy can also be referred to for its role as a proxy, is software that functions in the role of intermediaries between client and server via the internet. If there was no proxy in place, the customer could send a request for anything directly to the server, and servers would provide direct to users who requested the resource. This is a simple method to comprehend and use, the addition of proxy servers may provide benefits such as more performance, privacy and security, and so on. As an additional layer of protection proxy servers act as a guardian for the internet, separating clients from servers.

The consensus is that the server hardware coupled with installed proxy software is also often referred as proxy servers. This article will concentrate on proxies that are traditionally referred to as software, and specifically with respect to servers on the internet. We will present a summary of the two main kinds of proxy services: a forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each kind has a distinct use, and can be confusing due to the identical name convention.

This article will provide you with an idea of the different types of proxy and subtypes are, as well as their importance in common configurations. By reading this article you'll be able understand the situations when you could benefit from a proxy and decide on the appropriate option between reverse proxy and forward proxy depending on the scenario.

Understanding Forward Proxies

Forward proxy also referred to as an open proxy serves as an agent for a user who wants to send a request via the internet to an source server. In this case every request made by the client will rather be handled by an forward proxy. A forward proxy in the instead of the user will review the request. It first will determine if the client is legally authorized to accept requests from this specific forward proxy. Then, it can either deny any request, or redirect it to the source server. The client will not be capable of having an internet connection directly; it will only be allowed access to the information that forward proxy grants it access to.

One of the most common applications for forward proxy servers is to provide greater security or privacy on the internet. A forward proxy accesses the internet instead of a client's individual account, and during that process it can use another IP address, in contrast to the original IP address that is used by the client.

Depending on how it's set up, and how it is configured forward proxy can provide a range of options and let you:

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  Beware of tracking ads.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  Establish restrictions based upon location.
  
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Forward proxies can also be used in systems that provide central security and permission based access to the internet, for instance at a workplace. If all internet traffic flows through an open forward proxy layer, administrator can allow only specific clients access to the internet. This is controlled by a standard firewall. Instead of putting firewalls for the client layer which may include multiple machines with different user configurations, firewalls can be placed the front proxy layer.

Be aware that forward proxies should be manually configured for use while reverse proxies could be ignored in the eyes of the user. Depending on the kind of IP address a client is sent to the server that originated it via the forward proxy security and privacy can be made more transparent.

There are a myriad of choices to be considered for forward proxy:

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  Apache is a well-known open-source web server that offers forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Nginx is a popular open-source webserver which has forward proxy functionality.
  
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  Squid: A free and open source forward proxy that utilizes the HTTP protocol. It does not contain the entire web server. It is possible to refer to our article on the best way to set up Squid proxy to allow private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante is an forward proxy that utilizes the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP which makes it appropriate for situations such as peer-to-peer traffic. It is also possible to learn how to set up the Dante proxy to allow secure connections within Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy acts as the web server, which takes care of requests from customers on behalf of the server. This server can serve as a single server or a number of servers. Additionally, it can contain an application server such as Gunicorn. In all of these scenarios, a request would come through the internet at large. In the majority of cases the request will be sent directly to the web server with all the resources the client requires. A reverse proxy serves as an intermediary, separating your server from communications with the web's public.

From a consumer's point of the client's point of, using reverse proxy isn't different from connecting to an internet server direct. It's functionally the same but the client isn't able to discern the distinction. The client asks for the resource, and it is then granted access, with no additional configuration required by the client.

Reverse proxies provide options like:

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  A centralized layer of security to guard the server.
  
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  Directing incoming traffic using rules that you can establish.
  
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  A new feature to cache is now available.
  
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Central security is an advantage of both forward and reverse proxy solutions, reverse proxies give this feature to the server layer, it is not available to the client layer. instead of the maintenance of firewalls at the server layer which might contain many servers and various configurations, the majority of firewall security can be focused at the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, taking the burden of interacting with firewalls and responding to requests from clients outside of web servers allows them to concentrate solely on delivering the requirements of their customers.

In the event of multiple servers hosted by a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy also manages the routing of requests towards which servers. Multiple servers may be providing the exact same service, or serving various kinds of resources, or a combination of both. They may utilize the HTTP protocol to function as a standard web server, but they can additionally include applications server protocols like FastCGI. You can set up a reverse proxy to route clients to particular servers based on the request for source, and to adhere to certain rules for traffic volume.

Reverse proxies also can benefit from their position prior to web servers, by providing caching capabilities. Large static assets can be set using caching rules to prevent getting to web servers for each time a request is made. There are solutions that offer the option of serving static content directly without having to communicate with the webserver at all. Additionally, reverse proxy can help compress these assets.

The renowned Nginx webserver is known as a very popular reverse proxy choice. It is true that it is true that the Apache web server does have reverse proxy capabilities, it is an additional feature that is available to Apache however Nginx was originally designed to and is focused on the reverse proxy function.

Differentiating Forward Proxy and reverse Proxy Examples

Since "forward" as well as "reverse" are associated with a sense of directionality and inaccurate comparisons to "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic. They can be confusing since both kinds of proxy servers process requests and respond. Instead, a better way to distinguish between forward and reverse proxy servers is to study the requirements of the application that you are building.

Reverse proxy is an important aspect in the design of a method to run web-based applications via the internet. They act as your servers when you interact with the Internet.

Forward proxy can be useful for displaying customers for your own use, or even in a workplace. They are a way to display the information of your client when you connect to the internet.

A distinction based on use case rather than focusing only on similar naming conventions will make it easier to avoid confusion.

Conclusion

The article clarified meaning of a proxy. There are two types, the forward and the reverse proxy. Practical applications and an exploration of the beneficial attributes were utilized to distinguish forward proxies from reverse proxy. If you're interested exploring the benefits in proxy server, you can follow our tutorial on how to configure Nginx as web server as well as reverse proxy within Apache on an Ubuntu 20.04 Server.

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