It is a proxy is often referred to as proxy server software which serves to act as an intermediary a server and a client on the internet. Without the proxy, the client can send a request to a request directly to the server and the server will then send the requested resource directly to the user. While this process is simple to comprehend and implement, the addition of proxy servers can offer advantages in the form of improved performance, privacy, security as well as other benefits. As an additional layer of pass-through proxy servers serve as a security layer for the internet between clients and servers.

In general the mix of server hardware with proxy software is referred as a proxy server. The article we will concentrate on proxies commonly thought as software, and specifically in relation to servers on the internet. We will also discuss of two types of proxies, which are the forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each has its own specific usage case, but they're often misunderstood because of a similar name convention.

This article will give you some understanding about what proxies and their subtypes are, and how they are useful in the common configurations. In this article you'll know how to discern the scenarios where you could benefit by a proxy. You'll also be able to pick the best choice between forward and reverse proxy, in each scenario.

Understanding Forward Proxies

Forward proxy also known as open proxy, also known as open proxy is an agent for the user trying to transmit a request over the internet to an origin server. In this case any requests from the client are instead directed to the forward proxy. In this scenario, the forward proxy acting in the in the place of the customer will look into the request. First, it will determine if the client is permitted to submit requests via this specific forward proxy. It will then reject any request, or send it to the server that made the request. The client does not have a directly connected to the web. it can only access what the forward proxy permits it to access.

The primary reason for people to utilize forward proxy is the need to increase privacy or security on the internet. Forward proxy makes use of the internet as a client and in this process, it uses an alternate IP address for your client's IP address.

Based on the way it was installed in the past, forward proxy servers can offer a range of features that allow you to:

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  Beware of ad-tracker.
  
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
  
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  Find limitations based on your location.
  
  

Forward proxies are also utilized in systems to provide central security and access based on permissions for instance in workplaces. If all internet traffic goes via an open forward proxy, the administrators can allow only specific clients access to the internet via an common firewall. Instead of establishing firewalls for the client layer, which could comprise a variety of machines with different settings or users can be set up at an forward proxy layer.

Remember that forward proxy settings must be manually set up before they are able to be used in order to be used and reverse proxies are able to not be observed by the user. Depending on the type of IP address a user is relayed to the server from which it originated by the forward proxy privacy and anonymity could be granted, or left to go unnoticed.

There are a myriad of options to investigate for forward proxy options:

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  Apache The Apache is a well-known open-source web server with forward proxy features.
  
  
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  Nginx: Another well-known open-source server for hosting websites with the ability to forward-proxy.
  
  
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  Squid: An open-source forward proxy that utilizes the HTTP protocol. It's not the complete webserver system. We recommend you to read our tutorial on how you can create Squid proxy to connect privately using Ubuntu 20.04.
  
  
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  Dante forward proxy which runs on the SOCKS protocol, instead of HTTP which makes it more suitable for situations such as peer-to-peer connections. It is also possible to research the steps to install the Dante proxy to allow private connections to Ubuntu 20.04
  
  

Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy acts to act as an intermediary a web server and takes care of incoming requests from users on behalf of. This web server may serve as a single server or a number of servers. In addition, it could be an application-server such as Gunicorn. In either case the request will be made by a client via the internet generally. Typically, the request will be sent directly to the web server that holds all the information the user is wants. A reverse proxy is a intermediary that shields the webserver from direct interaction with the open internet.

From a perspective of the user from a client's perspective reverse proxy is not different from interacting with the server on its own. It's basically similar, but the user is unable to tell the difference. Client asks for a resource gets it, without additional configuration by the client.

Reverse proxy providers provide features like:

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  The server for the web is secure centrally.
  
  
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  The direction of traffic coming in is by rules that you create.
  
  
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  The caching feature is now available to users.
  
  

While central security is a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy systems, reverse proxy providers this feature to this web server layer not the layer that clients use. instead of establishing firewalls at Web server layers, which could contain multiple servers with different configurations, the bulk of firewall security is concentrated on the reverse proxy layer. In addition, getting rid of the hassle of interfacing with firewalls and interacting with clients' requests that are not on web servers allows firewalls to concentrate on providing the necessary resources.

If multiple servers are operating in reverse proxy The reverse proxy takes care of the method by which requests are routed to which server. There are many web servers connected to one server providing different kinds of resources or a mix of both. These servers use the HTTP protocol like a traditional web server, but may also include protocols for application servers like FastCGI. It is possible to configure reverse proxy servers to send customers to certain servers according to the kind of resource they are looking for or to follow specific guidelines for the amount of traffic.

Reverse proxies may benefit from being placed on top of web servers due to the power of caching. The large static files can be set up with caching rules to avoid the web server from being hit with every request. Certain options allow users to serve static assets without connecting to the web server at all. Additionally the reverse proxy could handle compressing these assets.

The popular Nginx web server is a well-known reverse proxy solution. Although it is real that Apache webserver also equipped with reverse proxy features but it's a option that's available to Apache however Nginx was designed originally for and is focused on reverse proxy functions.

Differentiating Forward and reverse proxy Utilizing Differentiating Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Utilization

Since "forward" in addition to "reverse" have connotations of directionality and misleading comparisons to "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic The labels could be confusing because both types of proxies handle responses and requests. Better yet, the best method to distinguish between reverse and forward proxy is to look at the requirements of the app you're creating.

Reverse proxy is an effective tool when you are designing a solution to deliver applications on the web via the internet. They act as your web servers every time you use the web.

Forward proxy can be useful for displaying clients to use for personal purposes, or in a working environment. They are a representation of information about the client every time you connect to the internet.

The practice of separating by case of use instead of focussing on similar naming conventions will ensure that you aren't confused.

Conclusion

This article will explain what a proxy is with the two major types which are the reverse proxy and forward proxy. Practical examples of usage as well as a discussion of the most advantageous attributes were used to determine the difference between forward and reverse proxies. If you're interested in learning more about the possibilities of proxies then you should check out our guide on how to configure Nginx as a reverse proxy for Apache on an Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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