The word “proxy” is a reference to the concept of a proxy or proxy server, a software that acts in the role of an intermediary client and server on the internet. Without a proxy, a user could send a request for resources directly to a server, while the server will then provide the resource directly back at the requester’s expense. While this approach is straightforward to grasp and use but the addition of proxies can bring benefits like improved performance and privacy, security and more. In addition to providing a pass-through layer, the proxy serves as a security safeguard for the internet between clients and servers.
Generally speaking, the combined system of server hardware coupled with the installed proxy software is sometimes referred to as proxy servers. This article will focus on proxies typically considered to be software, specifically, in relation with web server. This article will give details of the two main types that are available, including a forward proxy and the reverse. reverse proxy. Each type has a distinct usage scenario, which is often misunderstood because of the similar terminology.
This article will provide the understanding of what proxies are and what their subtypes are and how they function in various configurations. In this article, you’ll be able to determine the circumstances in which the use of proxies is advantageous, and choose the correct solution between forward proxy and reverse proxy, in any scenario.
Understanding Forward Proxies
A forward proxy, sometimes called an open proxy, acts as an intermediary for clients trying to make a request via the internet to an source server. In this situation the entire process of sending requests by the user will instead be transmitted via the forward proxy. The forward proxy, acting on behalf that of the user, would look at the request. In the beginning, it will determine if the client can accept requests from this specific forward proxy. It will then reject requests or redirect it to the server that originated it. The client is not capable of having directly access to internet. It is only able to access what the forward proxy allows for it access to.
A common use case of forward proxy services is to obtain greater privacy or security on the internet. Forward proxy is able to access the internet using the user, and in that process it could use a different IP address in addition to the client’s original IP address.
Depending on how it has been configured in accordance with the method of configuration forward proxy may offer a wide range of options and allow you to:
Beware of tracking ads.
Circumvent surveillance.
Find limitations based on your location.
Forward proxies are also employed in systems that rely on central security as well as permission-based access, such as in a workplace. If all internet traffic flows through an open forward proxy layer administrators can allow access to only a few users to the internet, which is then filtered by a standard firewall. Instead of establishing security firewalls at the user layer, which can be used by several computers that have different configurations, users and environment, the firewall could be installed at the proxy layer.
It is important to remember that forward proxies need to be configured manually and reverse proxies can not be noticed by the user. Depending on the type IP address a client is transmitted to the server where it originated via the forward proxy, anonymity and privacy may be granted or not.
There are several options to consider for forward proxy:
Apache A popular open-source, well-known web server that offers forward proxy features.
Nginx: Another well-known open-source server for hosting websites with forward proxy capabilities.
Squid is an open-source forward proxy using the HTTP protocol. It’s not the entire Web Server System. You can refer to our step-by-step instructions to install Squid proxy to enable private connections on Ubuntu 20.04.
Dante Forward Proxy which uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP this makes it more suitable for use situations like peer-topeer traffic. It is also possible to look into how to setup the Dante proxy to connect privately in Ubuntu 20.04
Understanding Reverse Proxies
Reverse proxy acts as an intermediary to a web server, handling incoming requests from customers on behalf of the server. The web server could function as a one server, or as a series of servers. Furthermore, it could serve in the role of an application server, such as Gunicorn. In any case the request will be made via the internet at large. Typically the request will be sent directly to the web server with what the client is seeking. However, reverse proxy functions as an intermediary, shielding the web server from direct communication via the web’s public.
From a user’s point of view the experience of interacting with reverse proxy isn’t a lot different than working with the server on its own. It’s the same, but clients aren’t able distinguish between the two. The client is able to request the resource and receive it, with no additional configuration needed on the part of the client.
Reverse proxy providers can provide features such as:
Security centralized for web servers.
Traffic coming into your site is routed based upon rules you set.
The caching feature is now available to users.
While central security can be a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy servers, reverse proxies offer this service for the Web server layer but not to the client layer. instead of the maintenance of firewalls at Web server layers, which could comprise multiple servers with various configurations, the majority of firewall security can be focused at the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, getting rid of the hassle of dealing with firewalls and responding to requests from clients outside of web servers permits them to concentrate on meeting the requirements of their customers.
If there are multiple servers operating as a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy also manages the requests to which server. There could be multiple web servers offering the same service, each offering different types of resource or a combination of both. These servers could be running the HTTP protocol, which is a standard web server. However, they can also include application server protocols like FastCGI. It is possible to configure a reverse proxy to direct visitors to specific server depending on the service being requested or to adhere to specific rules for traffic load.
Reverse proxies can also be able to benefit from their position ahead of web servers, offering the capability to store data. Large static assets can be set using caching rules, so that they do not prevent the web server from getting hit with every request. Certain software solutions let you offer static files directly without connecting to the web server in any way. Furthermore the reverse proxy may handle the compression of these files.
The well-known Nginx web server is also an effective reverse proxy option. Although Nginx, the Apache web server has reverse proxy capabilities as an alternative option for Apache however Nginx was initially designed and specifically designed for reverse proxy capabilities.
Differentiating Between Forward and Reverse Proxy Cases
Because “forward” as well as “reverse” have associations with directionality, and false comparisons with “incoming” and “outgoing” traffic the labels could be confusing because both kinds of proxies are able to handle requests as well as responses. Another method of separating between forward and reverse proxy is to look at the requirements of the application you’re developing.
A reverse proxy is useful when building an application to run websites on the internet. They act as your web server for all interactions over the internet.
Forward proxy can be useful when it is displayed before customers for your own use or within the corporate setting. They represent the client’s information 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 meaning of a proxy having two types: the forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Practical use cases as well as an examination of the most useful characteristics were used to determine the two kinds of proxy which are reverse and forward. If you’re looking to know more about the advantages of proxies, we recommend that you go through our guide on how you can configure Nginx for use as a web server and reverse proxy on Apache using an Ubuntu 20.04 Server.
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