It is a proxy, also called a proxy server. It is a software that serves to act as mediator between a client and server over the internet. Without the use of a proxy, clients could send a request or resource to the server directly and the server will serve the resource directly back at the request of the customer. While this is a simple method to grasp and implement, the addition of proxies can bring advantages in the form of improved performance as well as privacy, security and many more. As a pass-through layer, a proxy acts as an additional security layer on the internet between servers and clients.




There is a general consensus that the combination of server hardware and the software used to set up proxy installations is commonly referred to by the name of proxy servers. This article will concentrate on proxy servers that are usually considered to be software, as well as when referring to web servers. The article will provide a detailed discussion of the two primary types that are forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. They each have their own use scenario that is frequently misunderstood because of the similar terms.




This article will provide you with some understanding about the different types of proxy and what their subtypes are and how they operate in the most common configurations. After reading this article, it will be able determine the situations in which you can benefit from a proxy and then choose the best option between forward and reverse proxy in each circumstance.



Understanding Forward Proxies



The forward proxy, also referred to as the open proxy acts as the representative of a client who wishes to send a request via the internet to an source server. In this scenario, the entire attempt to send requests made by the user is instead forwarded by the forward-proxy. The forward proxy, acting as a substitute for the client will examine the request. The first process is to determine if the client is allowed to accept requests through this specific forward proxy. The client then decides if it wants to reject an request and forward it to the original server. The client is not capable of having direct access to the internet. It is only able to access what the forward proxy allows the client to access.




A popular use for forward proxies is to gain more privacy or protection on the internet. Forward proxy can be used to connect to the internet place of a client and, in this way it could utilize an IP address that is different from the client's original IP address.




Depending on how it's been set up the forward proxy can provide various functions based on how it is configured and allows you to:




Beware of ads that track you.


Circumvent surveillance.


Find restrictions that are based on the location you are in.




Forward proxies can also be used for security systems that are centralized and based on permission access like at work. All internet traffic can pass via an open forward proxy, an administrator could permit only a few clients access to the internet via a common firewall. Instead of setting up firewalls for the client layer which may comprise a variety of devices with various settings and users. A firewall can be placed on top of an front proxy layer.




It is vital to note that forward proxies must be set up manually to use, however reverse proxy servers will be ignored by clients. Depending on the type of IP address of a user is transferred to the server from which it originated by forward proxy privacy and anonymity may be granted, or if it is left unnoticed.




There are numerous options to consider forward proxy options




Apache The Apache is a popular open-source web server which provides forward proxy features.


Nginx is another popular open-source web server that has forward proxy features.


Squid is an open source forward proxy that uses the HTTP protocol. It doesn't come with an all-inclusive Web server software. You can check out our tutorial on installing Squid proxy for private connections on Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante Forward Proxy that utilizes the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP which makes it more to handle peer-to-peer communication. It is also possible to explore how you can set up a Dante proxy to connect privately in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



The reverse proxy acts as the server that handles client requests on its behalf. The web server can serve as a single server, or as a set of servers. It can also serve in the role of an application server such as Gunicorn. In either of these scenarios the request comes from a customer via the internet. In most cases, the request will be sent directly to the web server which has the resources that the user needs. A reverse proxy acts as an intermediary and shields it from any direct interaction with the internet's open.




From the viewpoint of the user, working with reverse proxy is not different from interacting with the web server directly. It's functionally identical and the user is unable to tell the difference. Clients make requests for resources, which is followed by receiving it, without any extra configuration required by the user.




Reverse proxies offer features like:




Secured centrally for Web Server Layer.


Sending traffic to be directed according to rules that you define.


Additional functionality for caching.




Although centralized security is a benefit for both reverse and forward proxy servers. However, reverse proxy servers provide this benefit to the web server layer but not the client layer. Instead of maintaining firewalls at the layer of web servers which can contain multiple servers with various configurations, the majority of the firewall security can be concentrated at the reverse proxy layer. In addition, getting rid of the burden of interacting with firewalls and communicating with clients who request information from web servers allows them to focus on serving the resources.




If there are multiple servers that are running in a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy takes care of how requests are routed which server. There may be several web servers offering the same service, each providing different kinds of resources, or a combination of both. They may use the HTTP protocol as a conventional web server, however, they may additionally include applications server protocols like FastCGI. It is possible to set up reverse proxy servers to direct users to specific servers based upon the requested resource or to follow specific rules for traffic volume.




Reverse proxies also can profit from their positioning over web servers, as they provide caching functionality. Massive static resources can be set up with caching rules in order to avoid hitting web servers with each request, with some solutions providing the option to provide static files directly, without connecting to a web server even once. Additionally, reverse proxy is able to handle compression of these assets.




The popular Nginx website server also a highly popular reverse proxy solution. While Apache has a reverse proxy solution, the Apache web server does have reverse proxy functions as an additional option to Apache however Nginx was originally designed for and was designed with a focus on reverse proxy capabilities.



Differentiating Forward and Reverse Proxy Use. Differentiating Forward and Reverse Proxy Utilization



Because "forward" and "reverse" come with connotations of directionality, as well as false connections to "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic These labels are prone to confusion because both types of proxies deal with requests and responses. The best method of separating between reverse and forward proxy is to examine the specifications of the application you're creating.




Reverse proxy is an important feature when you are creating a solution for serving web applications on the internet. They act as your web server for any interaction on the internet.




Forward proxy can be useful when used in front of clients for personal usage, or in a working environment. They act as your client's proxy via any communication with the internet.




Utilizing use cases to differentiate as opposed to focusing only on standard naming conventions will help avoid confusion.



Conclusion



The article explained the meaning of a proxy, with two types of proxy, the reverse proxy and forward proxy. Practical scenarios to use them as well as a discussion of most effective features were employed to distinguish forward proxies and reverse proxy. If you're keen to learn more about the benefits of proxies, you should check out our guide on how to configure Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy with Apache using an Ubuntu 20.04 Server.



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