It's a proxy or proxy server. It's a program that functions to act as mediator between client and server over the internet. Without a proxy, a client could send a request any resource directly to the server, 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 proxy servers can offer advantages in terms of increased performance, privacy, security, and many more. As a pass-through layer a proxy serves as a security guardian of the internet between clients and servers.




The general consensus is this: the mix of servers hardware and software used to set up proxy installations is often referred too as proxy servers. This article will be focusing on proxy servers that are usually considered to be software, as well as when referring to web servers. There will be a discussion of the two primary types, namely which are a forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. They each have their own use scenario that is frequently confused due to the same terms.




This article will provide you with some understanding about what proxies are and the subtypes of them and how they function in the most common configurations. After reading this article, it will be able to identify the scenarios that you can gain by a proxy, and select the most appropriate forward and reverse proxy in every scenario.



Understanding Forward Proxies



The forward proxy, also referred to by the name of the open proxy acts as the representative of a user who would like to make a request through the internet to an source server. In this scenario, the entire request sent by the user will be forwarded by the forward-proxy. This forward proxy, acting as a substitute for the client will review the request. The first process is to determine if the client is permitted to accept requests through this particular forward proxy. It then decides whether to decline a request and forward it to the original server. The client is not able to have an internet connection directly. It has access to only what forward proxy allows for it to be connected to.




A common use of forward proxy is to achieve more privacy or protection when surfing the web. Forward proxy can be used to access the internet in instead of a client and, in this way, it may use an IP address that is different from the initial IP address.




Depending on how it's been configured, the forward proxy will offer different functions, based on how it is configured, which lets you:




Beware of ads that track you.


Circumvent surveillance.


Find restrictions that are based on your area.




Forward proxies are also utilized for security systems that are centralized and permission-based access such as in the workplace. All internet traffic can pass by the open forward proxy. an administrator could permit only a few clients access to the internet through a common firewall. Instead of setting up security firewalls on the server layer, that could include a variety of computers with different configurations and users, a firewall could be set up on top of an forward proxy layer.




It is important to remember that forward proxies must be set up manually to be used, however reverse proxies remain undetected by clients. Based on the fact that the IP address of a user is transmitted to the server that originated it from the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity may be granted, or left unnoticed.




There are many possibilities to explore for forward proxy options:




Apache: A popular open-source web server that provides forward proxy features.


Nginx is a popular open-source webserver that comes with forward proxy capabilities.


Squid is an open source forward proxy that uses an HTTP protocol. It does not come with an entire web server application. We have a instructions on setting up Squid proxy for private connections on Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante Forward Proxy that utilizes the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP which makes it better to handle peer-to-peer connections. It's also worth taking a look explore how you can set up the Dante proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



The reverse proxy acts as the server which handles requests from clients in its place. Web servers can function as a single server, or a number of servers. Additionally, it can serve as an app server, such as Gunicorn. In any of these situations, the request comes from an internet-connected user. In most cases, the request will be directly sent to the web server which is the one that has the resources the user is requesting. In contrast, a reverse proxy acts as an intermediary, separating it from any direct contact with the open internet.




From the point of view of the client, interacting using reverse proxy isn't different from interacting with the web server directly. It's functionally identical and the user is unable to tell the difference. The client sends requests for resources, which is followed by receiving it, without any extra configuration required by the user.




Reverse proxies provide features like:




Centralized security for the web server layer.


The sending of traffic in accordance with rules you decide to decide to define.


Additional functions for caching.




While centralized security is a benefit for both reverse and forward proxy servers, reverse proxy services provide this benefit only to those who use the server layer but not to the layer that clients use. Instead of maintaining firewalls at the web server layer which can contain multiple servers with different configurations, the majority of firewall security may be concentrated at the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, getting rid of the burden of interacting with a firewall and interacting with requests from clients away from web servers lets them concentrate on serving resources.




If there are multiple servers that are running through a reverse proxy The reverse proxy handles the way requests are routed to the server. There may be several web servers that provide the same service, each providing various kinds of resources or a combination of both. They may utilize the HTTP protocol to function as a standard web server, however, they might also include protocols for application servers like FastCGI. It is possible to set up a reverse proxy to route users to specific servers based upon the requested resource or to follow certain rules regarding traffic load.




Reverse proxies also can profit from their placement over web servers, as they provide the ability to cache data. Large static assets can be configured using caching rules to prevent from hitting web servers with every request, with some solutions providing the option to upload static files directly without connecting to the web server even once. In addition, the reverse proxy can handle compression of these files.




The well-known Nginx web server is an extremely well-known reverse proxy solution. While Apache can also be a reverse proxy solution but the Apache web server also has a reverse proxy functionality as an option that can be added to Apache and Nginx was initially designed and specifically focused on reverse proxy functions.



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



Since "forward" as well as "reverse" come with connotations of directionality and false distinctions between "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic These labels are prone to confusion since both kinds of proxy handle responses and requests. In addition, the most effective method of separating between forward and reverse proxy is to examine the specifications of the application that you're developing.




Reverse proxy is an essential element when you're developing a solution to serve websites on the internet. They act as your web server in any interaction with the internet.




A forward proxy is beneficial when used in front of customers for your personal usage, or in a working environment. They serve as the proxy for your client through any interaction with the internet.




The use case-based differentiation rather than focusing solely on common names can make it easier to avoid confusion.



Conclusion



The article explained the meaning of a proxy and the two main types being the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical scenarios for use as well as a discussion of most useful features were utilized to differentiate forward proxies from reverse proxies. If you're interested to learn more about the benefits of proxies, you should check out our guide on how to configure Nginx as an reverse proxy and an internet server with Apache on Ubuntu 20.04 Server. Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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