It is proxy or proxy server. proxy or proxy server, is a server software program which acts as an intermediary between the server and the client via the internet. With no intermediaries, a user would be able to make a request for or resource to the server directly, and the server would serve direct the resource requested to the customer. While this process is simple to understand and apply using proxies, it can provide benefits in terms of greater performance, privacy, security, and many more. As a pass-through layer the proxy serves as a intermediary between the servers and clients.




Generally speaking, the bundled system of hardware for servers and software to install proxy servers is often referred by the name proxy servers. In this article, we will examine proxies commonly referred to as software, as well as those that are used to complement web servers. You will get a breakdown of two types of proxies: forward proxy and a reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each type has its own usage scenario, which is often misunderstood because of the similar naming convention.




This article will provide you with the basics of what proxies and their subtypes are as well as what they can accomplish for typical configurations. Through this article, users will be able to identify the scenarios in which an effective proxy can be beneficial, and choose the right solution between forward and reverse proxy for any particular circumstance.



Understanding Forward Proxies



In other words, a forward proxy is also known as an open proxy is the client's representative which is attempting to send an internet request to an origin server. In this case, all attempt to send requests from the client will instead be handled by the forward proxy. In this scenario this forward-proxy acting instead of the user will look over the request. It is the first thing to establish which client has the authority to make requests through this specific forward proxy. The forward proxy will then deny this request and send it back to the server originally. The client is not able to establish a direct connection to the internet; it is only able to access what forward proxy grants its access.




The most common applications for forward proxy servers is the increased privacy or anonymity on the internet. A forward proxy can be utilized to access the internet in place of a client and in that process it could use an alternate IP address that is different from the original IP address of the client.




Depending on how they were set up in the past, forward proxy servers can provide a variety of functions and permit you to:




Avoid ad tracking.


Circumvent surveillance.


You can determine restrictions based upon your geolocation.




Forward proxies are also used in security systems that require centralized and permission based access, such as in a workplace. If all internet traffic flows through a common forward proxy layer, an administrator can restrict access to certain people to connect on the internet, which is then filtered by a common firewall. Instead of keeping firewalls in place for the client layer, which could comprise a range of devices that are different in environments and users, a firewall can be placed at an intermediate layer.




It is important to note that forward proxy servers have to be manually configured in order to be used but reverse proxies are not noticed to the user. Based on whether the IP address of the customer is sent to the source server via an forward proxy. Privacy and anonymity could be granted or ignored.




There are a variety of options to investigate for forward proxies:




Apache is a well-known open source web server that provides forward proxy capabilities.


Nginx: Another well-known open-source server for web hosting that has forward proxy functions.


Squid is an open-source forward proxy which makes use of the HTTP protocol. It doesn't provide an entire web server. We've got a guide on how you can configure Squid proxy so that it allows private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante Forward Proxy that utilizes the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP which makes it better suitable for situations like peer-to-peer connections. You can also examine how you can set up Dante proxy to connect privately in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy acts as an agent on behalf of a web server, handling any requests that are received by clients on its behalf. The web server could comprise one server or a number of servers. It may also act as an application server, such as Gunicorn. In any of these situations, the request may come from a customer on the internet. In the majority of cases the request will be sent straight to the web server that hosts the information the user is in need of. Reverse proxy is an intermediary that separates Web servers and direct communication with the open internet.




From a client's perspective that is the user's perspective, interfacing with reverse proxy isn't any different than connecting to your webserver directly. It's exactly the same, but the client isn't able to discern the difference. The customer requests an item and is given it with no additional configurations that need to be done by the customer.




Reverse proxy proxy servers can offer some features, including:




A central layer of security that guards the server.


Controlling traffic that is inbound on rules that you can establish.


A new feature to cache is now available.




While central security is a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy solutions, reverse proxies give this benefit to the web server layer rather than clients. In lieu of the maintenance of firewalls on the layer of web servers that may contain multiple servers with different configurations, the majority of firewall security is focused on this layer. In addition, the absence of interfacing with a firewall as well as responding to the requests of clients from web servers enables them to focus solely on serving the needs of their customers.




If there are several servers running through a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy also determines the method of routing requests to which server. A number of web servers could be offering the same content, however, they each serve different kinds of content or a combination of both. They may be using the HTTP protocol like a traditional web server, but they may include applications server protocols such as FastCGI. You may also set up a reverse proxy to direct clients to specific servers based on the resource requested, or to observe certain guidelines for traffic load.




Reverse proxies also can take advantage of their placement before web servers by providing the ability to cache data. Large static files can be configured with caching rules to stop the web server from being hit with every request and some solutions even offer the option to provide static files without contacting the servers in any manner. Additionally, the reverse proxy could be able to handle compressing these files.




The well-known Nginx webserver is a well-known reverse proxy solution. However, the Apache webserver is equipped with a reverse proxy feature, it is an additional option. Apache in contrast to Nginx was initially designed for and was designed specifically for reverse proxy functions.



Differentiating Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Cases



Since "forward" along with "reverse" are associated with a sense of directionality, and a false comparison with "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic. These labels can be confusing since each type of proxy handles requests and responses. Instead, a better way to distinguish between forward and reverse proxy services is to consider the requirements of the application you're developing.




Reverse proxy can be useful in the design of a solution that can provide web-based applications on the internet. They act as your servers throughout all interactions on the internet.




A forward proxy can be helpful when it is placed on the internet in front of traffic from clients for your personal use or in a work environment. They represent your client traffic when you use the internet.




The use case distinction rather than focusing solely on the similar naming conventions can help in avoidance of confusion.



Conclusion



This article will explain what a proxy is, with the two primary types being the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Examples of practical applications and a review of important characteristics were used to define forward proxies as well as reverse proxies. If you're interested in knowing more about the process of implementing proxy servers, check out our tutorial on how to set up Nginx as a reverse and web server proxy using Apache using one Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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