It is a proxy is also referred to as a proxy server is software that acts in the middle between client and server over the internet. Without a proxy, a client could send a request for an item directly to the server and it would serve direct to users who requested the resource. Although this method is easy to grasp and implement, adding proxies offers advantages in the form of greater performance, privacy, security, and much more. As an additional layer of passing over, the proxy acts as a gatekeeper for the internet, separating clients and servers.

The majority of people agree this: the mix of hardware for servers and the software that is installed to make proxy connections is commonly referred too as proxy servers. In this article, we will concentrate on proxies that are typically described as software as and those utilized together using web servers. This article will give a detailed breakdown of two types of proxies such as one that is a forward proxy and one called a reverse proxy. Each has its own use case that is frequently confused due to the similar namesake convention.

This article will provide an understanding of the different types of proxy and they are subtypes of, as well as the ways in which they can be beneficial for common setups. By reading this article, you'll be able to discern the scenarios in which a proxy is advantageous, and choose the appropriate choice for forward proxy or reverse proxy for a particular scenario.

Understanding Forward Proxies

The forward proxy sometimes known by the name of the open proxy is the representative of a customer that is trying to send an internet request to an origin server. In this situation it is the case that all requests from the client will rather be sent to the forward proxy. In this scenario the forward proxy, instead of the client will examine the request. At the beginning, it decides if the client is permitted to transmit requests through this particular forward proxy. It then decides whether to reject the request or transfer it over to the source server. It's not able to direct connection with the web. It is only able to access the information the forward proxy permits it to access.

A common reason for using forward proxies is to gain greater privacy or security online. A forward proxy uses the internet as a separate client, and during this process, it can use another IP address in opposition to the IP address of the client.

Depending on how it's been set up in the past forward proxy servers may give you a variety of options, allowing you to:

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  Stay clear of tracking ads.
  
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
  
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  Determine restrictions based on where you live.
  
  

Forward proxies are also used in systems that offer central security as well as permission-based access, for example, in a workplace. In the event that all internet traffic is routed through an open forward proxy layer an administrator can grant only a handful of users access to the internet which is then filtered by a firewall that is common to all. Instead of establishing firewalls for the client layer which may include multiple machines that have different environments and users, the firewall can be set up on the layer that forwards proxy traffic.

Remember that forward proxies have to be set up manually for use, whereas reverse proxies can be disregarded by clients. Based on the fact that clients' IP addresses are transmitted to the origin server through the forward proxy Privacy and anonymity could be granted or made transparent.

There are a myriad of choices to think about in the case of forward proxies:

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  Apache An open source, well-known web server that provides forward proxy features.
  
  
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  Nginx A renowned open-source webserver with forward proxy functionality.
  
  
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  Squid is an open source forward proxy that makes use of it's HTTP protocol. It doesn't provide the entire web server service. Take a look at our guide on the best method to set up Squid proxy to allow secure connections on Ubuntu 20.04.
  
  
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  Dante forward proxy which uses the SOCKS protocol instead HTTP and HTTP, which makes it more suitable for use scenarios like peer-to-peer communication. It is also possible to know how to set up a Dante proxy to allow private connections in Ubuntu 20.04
  
  

Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy acts as a representative of a server on the internet that manages requests from customers on its behalf. The web server may represent one or more servers. It could also serve as an app server, such as Gunicorn. For any one of these situations a request could come in via the internet at large. The majority of the time the request will be delivered directly to the web server along with the data the user is looking for. Reverse proxy, however, is a intermediary, and blocks your web server from interaction with the internet.

From a user's point of view from a client's perspective, using a reverse proxy is not different from communicating directly with the webserver in direct communication. It's basically the same and the client is unable to discern the difference. The client requests a resource which is followed by receiving it, without any additional configuration needed for the user.

Reverse proxy proxies may offer some features, including:

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  Secured centrally to protect Web Server Layer.
  
  
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  Directing traffic in accordance with rules you can establish.
  
  
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  Additional functionality for caching.
  
  

Although central security can be a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy service, reverse proxy providers provide this benefit to only the server layer, and not to the layer that connects to the client. Instead of the maintenance of firewalls at the layer of web servers which can contain several servers that have different configurations, the majority of firewall security resides in the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, getting rid of the necessity of interfacing with firewalls and responding to requests from clients who aren't connected to web servers allows the firewall to focus on meeting the requirements of their clients.

If there are multiple servers that are behind a reverse proxy the reverse proxy is also in charge of how requests are routed on which server. Multiple web servers may be running on the same server, providing different kinds of resources or a combination of the two. These servers may use the HTTP protocol in the same way as a traditional web server. They may also include protocols for applications such as FastCGI. You can create a reverse proxy to direct users to specific servers according to the type of resource they're looking for, or to comply with certain rules regarding traffic load.

Reverse proxies also profit from their placement prior to web servers, by providing the capacity of caching. Large static assets can be configured using caching rules to prevent the web server from being hit on every request, with some solutions giving the option to directly serve static resources without needing to connect to the internet server at all. Additionally reverse proxy is able to manage the compression of these assets.

The famous Nginx web server is also a well-known reverse proxy feature. Although Nginx, the Apache web server, it is equipped with reverse proxy features however it's an additional feature that is available for Apache and Nginx was initially designed for and specifically designed for reverse proxy functionality.

Distinguishing Forward and Reverse Proxy Utilizing Differentiation of Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use

Since "forward" or "reverse" are associated with the notion of directionality, and false comparisons to "incoming" in addition to "outgoing" traffic. The labels can be confusing as both kinds of proxy are able to manage requests and responses. The best way to differentiate between reverse and forward proxy is to look at the requirements of the app that you are creating.

A reverse proxy can be beneficial in the development of a system to deliver web-based applications on the internet. They act as your servers when you interact with the internet.

Forward proxy can be useful when used in front of the client for personal use or in a work environment. They represent your client traffic when you are on the internet.

A distinction based on use cases instead of focusing exclusively upon similar conventions for naming can assist you in avoiding confusion.

Conclusion

This article clarifies the meaning of a proxy that includes two main kinds: the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical application scenarios and a look at useful features were utilized to distinguish forward proxies and reverse proxies. If you're interested in exploring the possibilities of proxies then you can check out our tutorial on how to configure Nginx as a reverse proxy and web server proxy for Apache on an Ubuntu 20.04 Server.

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