It is an proxy is also known as proxy server, which is a software that sits in the middle between client and server on internet. Without proxy, a user will send a request for an item directly to a server, and it would deliver direct to users who requested the resource. While this approach is straightforward to comprehend and implement, the addition of proxies can provide benefits in terms of greater performance and privacy, security and many more. In addition to passing through, a proxy serves as a guardian for the internet, separating clients and servers.




There is a general consensus that the combination of server hardware and the software that is installed to make proxy connections is commonly called proxy servers. In this article, we will concentrate on proxies that are typically described in terms of software as well as those used together using web servers. This article will give the full description of two types of proxy: that is one that is a forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each is unique in its use and is often misunderstood due to the similar namesake convention.




This article will provide some knowledge about the different types of proxy and their subtypes, and the ways in which they can be beneficial in common configurations. By reading this article you'll be able identify the circumstances where a proxy can be advantageous, and choose the best reverse or forward proxy in any given situation.



Understanding Forward Proxies



The forward proxy also referred to by the name of the open proxy is the agent of a user who is trying to send an internet request to an the server that originated it. In this scenario, it's the scenario that all requests made by the client are directed to this forward proxy. In this situation the forward proxy acting in place of the client, will scrutinize the request. At the beginning, it will decide whether the client is permitted to transmit requests through this specific forward proxy. It will then decide whether to deny this request as well as send it back to its origin server. It's not able connect directly to the internet. It is only able to access the information the forward proxy permits the forward proxy to connect.




A common reason for using forward proxy is to achieve more privacy or security on the internet. A forward proxy uses the internet as a separate client, and during this way, it could use another IP address in comparison to the original IP address that is used by the client.




Based on the way it was configured in the past forward proxy servers could provide a range of choices, allowing you to:




Stay clear of tracking ads.


Circumvent surveillance.


Establish restrictions based on the where you live.




Forward proxies are also employed in systems that offer central security and permit-based access, for example, in a workplace. In the event that all internet traffic is routed through an open forward proxy layer, the administrator can grant only a small number of clients access to the internet, which is filtered by a standard firewall. Instead of ensuring firewalls are in place for the client layer that may include multiple machines that are different in terms of user and environment the firewall could be installed at the layer that is responsible for forwarding proxy data.




Be aware that forward proxies need to be set up manually for use, whereas reverse proxies can be disregarded by clients. Depending on whether clients' IP addresses are transmitted to the origin server via the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity could be granted or made more transparent.




There are many possibilities to consider for forward proxies:




Apache An open source, well-known web server that provides forward proxy capabilities.


Nginx is another well-known open-source web server with forward proxy functionality.


Squid is an open-source forward proxy that utilizes an HTTP protocol. It doesn't provide the entire web server service. Read our article on the most efficient method to set up Squid proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante forward proxy which uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP which makes it better suited for scenarios like peer-to-peer communication. You might also want to check out how to configure an Dante proxy to allow private connections in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy is a representation of a web server that handles incoming requests from customers on its behalf. Web servers can represent a single or multiple servers. Furthermore, it could serve as an app server, such as Gunicorn. For any one of these cases, it is possible to receive a request via the web at large. Most of the time the request is delivered directly to the web server, along with the information the user is looking for. The reverse proxy acts as an intermediary, and blocks your website server from any interaction with the open internet.




From a user's point of view from a user's point of view, using a reverse proxy is no different from communicating directly with the webserver in direct communication. It's basically the same and the client can't tell the difference. The client requests a resource that is then followed by receiving it, without any additional configurations required for the end-user.




Reverse proxy proxies can provide some features, including:




Centrally secured to protect Web Server Layer.


The sending of traffic in accordance with rules you can set up.


Additional features to cache data.




While central security is a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy solutions, reverse proxies give this benefit to only the server layer, and not to the layer that connects to the client. Instead of the need to maintain firewalls on the layer of web servers which can contain several servers with various configurations, the majority of firewall security is concentrated on the reverse proxy layer. In addition, the removal of the requirement of interacting with firewalls and connecting with requests from clients far from web servers allows firewalls to concentrate on serving the requirements of their clients.




If there are multiple servers in a reverse proxy,, the reverse proxy is also in charge of how requests are routed to which server. Multiple web servers may be running from the exact same computer, serving different types of resources, or a combination of the two. These servers can use the HTTP protocol to function as a standard web server. They can include applications server protocols like FastCGI. It is possible to set up reverse proxy that directs customers to specific servers based on the type of resource they're looking for, or to adhere to certain rules for traffic load.




Reverse proxies also profit from their positioning before web servers by delivering the ability to cache. Large static assets can be configured with caching policies to avoid having to connect to web servers with each request, with certain services giving the option to directly serve static assets without connecting with the server even once. Furthermore, reverse proxy could handle the compression of these assets.




The famous Nginx web server is also a well-known reverse proxy service. While you can use it, Apache web server, it is equipped with reverse proxy function it's an additional feature available only for Apache while Nginx was initially developed for and specifically designed for reverse proxy functions.



Distinguishing Forward and Reverse Proxy Use Differentiating Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use



Because "forward" and "reverse" come with connotations of directionality, and false connections to "incoming" in addition to "outgoing" traffic These terms can be confusing since both kinds of proxy can be used to manage requests and responses. An alternative method to differentiate between reverse and forward proxy is to look at the specifications of the application you're developing.




A reverse proxy could be helpful in the development of a solution to provide web-based applications over the internet. They act as your servers when you interact with the internet.




Forward proxy is helpful when you are in front of the client for your personal use, or in a workplace setting. They represent your client traffic when you interact with the internet.




A distinction based on use case instead of focusing solely on similar naming conventions will aid in avoiding confusion.



Conclusion



This article clarifies the meaning of a proxy with the two types: the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical application scenarios and a look at beneficial features was used to differentiate forward proxies and reverse proxies. If you're interested in learning more about the possibilities of proxies, then you can check out our guide on how to configure Nginx as a reverse and web server proxy for Apache on one Ubuntu 20.04 Server.



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