proxy, also referred to as a proxy or proxy server, is a server software that acts in the middle between a client and server via the internet. In the absence of an intermediary a user would make a request to purchase an item straight to the server and servers would serve the requested resource directly back to the client. While this is a simple method to grasp and use, adding proxies offers benefits such as improved performance, privacy, security and many more. As a pass-through layer proxy is a gatekeeper for the internet between servers and users.

In general, the bundled bundle of server hardware that includes proxy software is described as a proxy server. But, this article will concentrate on proxy servers that are generally referred to as software, as well as those used together with web servers. We will present a summary of the two types of proxy servers, which are the forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each comes with its own specific use case, and can be misinterpreted due to the identical terminology.

This article will give you an idea of the different types of proxy services and the subtypes are as well in how they work for the most common configurations. Through this article, you can identify the situations in which you can benefit from a proxy and decide on the best alternative between reverse and forward proxy options in any given scenario.

Understanding Forward Proxies

Forward proxy also referred to as open proxy, also known as open proxy is an agent for the user who wants to send a request through the internet to an the server that made the request. In this scenario it is the case that all requests made by the client would rather be routed direct towards the forward proxy. This forward proxy in the position of the customer will review the request. At the beginning, it will determine whether the client is able to accept requests from this specific forward proxy. It then decides whether to refuse requests or redirect it to the source server. The client does not have direct access to the internet but it is able to access the information that the forward proxy gives it access to.

The most popular reason for using forward proxy services is to increase privacy or anonymity online. A forward proxy is able to browse the internet in place of clients. In the process, it will use a different IP address than the IP address originally that the client uses.

Based on how it has been configured according to the way it was configured forward proxy can provide you with a variety of features as well as the ability to:

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  Beware of ads that track you.
  
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
  
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  You can identify limitations based on your geographic location.
  
  

Forward proxies are also employed in systems that offer central security as well as permission-based access, like in a workplace. In the event that all internet traffic is routed by an open forward proxy an administrator is able to allow access only to a few individuals to access the web. The web is blocked by a standard firewall. Instead of having firewalls installed for the client layer which may comprise several computers that have different users and environments, a firewall could be set up at an front proxy layer.

It is important to remember that forward proxy servers have to be set up manually before they can be used for use and reverse proxy servers are not able to be detected by the user. Based on the fact that your IP address a user is transmitted to the server that originated it through the forward proxy privacy and anonymity may be granted or left transparent.

There are many options to take into consideration when it comes to forward proxy options:

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  Apache An open source, well-known web server offering forward proxy capability.
  
  
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  Nginx: Another well-known open-source server for web hosting with forward proxy capability.
  
  
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  Squid: An open-source forward proxy that utilizes the HTTP protocol. It's not the complete web server service. Check out our guide on how you can set up Squid proxy to allow private connections within Ubuntu 20.04.
  
  
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  Dante Forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP to ensure it is more suitable for scenarios such as peer-to -peer traffic. You may also want to look at how you can create a Dante proxy to allow private connections on Ubuntu 20.04
  
  

Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy functions as an intermediary for the web server which takes care of any requests that come in from clients on behalf of. Web servers can represent one server or several servers. In addition, it could be an application server like Gunicorn. In all of these scenarios, the request for an application comes from a user on the internet in general. The majority of the time, the request will go directly to the website server that hosts the information the client is seeking. However, a reverse proxy functions as an intermediary in order to shield Web server from any direct interaction with the open internet.

From the perspective of a person's perspective, working via reverse proxy is the same as working with Web server in direct contact. It functions the same as the web server, and the client cannot tell the distinction. The client is able to request the resource, and is then provided with the resource without any additional configuration required by the user.

Reverse proxy proxies provide certain features, such as:

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  Centrally secured for Web Server Layer.
  
  
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  Directing incoming traffic by implementing rules that you establish.
  
  
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  The caching functionality was added to the application.
  
  

Although centralized security is an advantage of both reverse and forward proxy, reverse proxies do this function to the web server layer not to the client layer. Instead of focusing on the maintenance of firewalls in the web server layer, which can contain several servers with different configurations, most of the firewall security is aimed at the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, the detachment of the responsibility of interfacing with firewalls and communicating with requests from clients via web servers allows them to focus solely on delivering the needs of their clients.

In the event of multiple servers that are running via a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy could also be accountable for the direction in the requests that are directed to which server. There may be several web servers that are serving identical resources, but each offering different types of services or a mixture of both. These servers can be using their own HTTP protocol to operate as a standard internet server, however they could also include protocols used by applications like FastCGI. You can set up a reverse proxy redirecting visitors to a particular servers based on the kind of resource they're searching for, or follow specific rules for traffic load.

Reverse proxies also can benefit from their position prior to web servers, by providing the capability of caching. Large static assets can be capable of being configured with rules for caching to avoid the web server from being hit on every request. There are options that offer the possibility of providing static files without having to connect to the web server in any way. Additionally, the reverse proxy is able to manage compression of these files.

The well-known Nginx webserver is also a well-known reverse proxy choice. Although Apache has a reverse proxy option, the Apache web server is also equipped with a reverse proxy function, it is an additional characteristic in Apache however Nginx was originally designed and geared towards the reverse proxy function.

The difference between Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Situations

Because "forward" as well as "reverse" are both associated with directionality as well as false comparisons with "incoming" or "outgoing" traffic, they could be confusing since both types of proxies are able to handle requests as well as responses. Better yet, the best method to differentiate between those proxies that are forward or reverse is by analyzing the requirements of the app that you are building.

Reverse proxy is beneficial when creating an approach to connect web-based applications on the internet. They act as your servers whenever you connect to the internet.

Forward proxy are beneficial when they are placed in front of the client for your personal use, or in a workplace setting. They are your client's proxy when you use the internet.

Differentiating by case of use in lieu of looking at the same naming conventions will make sure that you do not get confused.

Conclusion

This article defined what a proxy is along with two types, namely the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical applications and an exploration of the benefits were utilized to differentiate between forward and reverse proxy. If you're interested in knowing more about how to implement proxy servers, then you must check out our tutorial on how to set up Nginx as a web server as well as reverse proxy on Apache on an Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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