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An proxy is also known as a proxy server is software that functions as a mediator between a client and server over the internet. Without the use of a proxy, a user would send a request to an item directly to a server, and the server would then deliver the item directly to the user. While this is a simple method to grasp and implement, the addition of proxies could offer advantages in terms improved performance security, privacy, and much more. Alongside offering a security layer, proxies act as a security guardian for the internet, separating clients from servers.




There is a general consensus that the server hardware along with installed proxy software is often called proxy servers. But, this article will concentrate on the proxies that are typically categorized as software, and in the web server context. This article will give a synopsis of the two principal kinds of proxies, which include a forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each has its own usage that can cause confusion because of a similar naming convention.




This article will provide you with an understanding of proxy's purpose and what subtypes they are and how they function in typical setups. In in this post, you'll be able to identify the scenarios where it's beneficial to use a proxy and choose the best option between forward and reverse proxy, in any situation.



Understanding Forward Proxies



In another way a forward proxy, also referred to as or an open proxy serves as the representative of a client who wants to send an internet request to an origin server. In this situation, any attempt to send requests from the client is instead routed directly through the forward proxy. The forward proxy, acting in the instead of the user, will look into the request. It will first decide if the user is authorized accept requests from this specific forward proxy. Then, it decides if it wants to refuse a request or send it back to the server that originally received it. The client is not able to have direct access to the internet. It is only able to access the internet that the forward proxy permits the client access.




The most popular reason for using forward proxy services is to improve privacy or security when surfing the internet. Forward proxy allows you to connect to the internet in the place of a client and, in this way it can use a different IP address than the original IP address used by the client.




Depending on how it's been set up in the past forward proxy servers are able to provide a range of choices and permit you to:




Avoid ad tracking.


Circumvent surveillance.


You can determine limitations based on your geographical area.




Forward proxies can also be employed in systems that offer central security and authorization based access, like in a workplace. When all traffic on the internet passes via an open forward proxy layer administrators can restrict access to only certain clients to the internet and filter it through a standard firewall. Instead of putting firewalls in place for the client layer which could include a variety of machines that have different user and environment the firewall can be placed in the forward proxy layer.




Note that the forward proxy setting must be manually set up to use and reverse proxies are able to be not recognized by clients. Depending on whether the IP address of a user is passed to the original server via the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity can be granted or not.




There are several options to take into consideration when it comes to forward proxy options:




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


Nginx: Another popular open-source webserver that has forward proxy capabilities.


Squid is a free forward proxy that uses an HTTP protocol. Squid isn't a complete Web server service. Check out our step-by-step guide to create Squid proxy to allow private connections on Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante forward proxy which runs on the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP which makes it better appropriate for scenarios such as peer-to-topeer connections. You can also look into the steps to install a Dante proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



A reverse proxy serves as a proxy for web servers that handle any requests that come in from clients on its behalf. Web servers can comprise a server or multiple servers. Also, it could be used as an application server like Gunicorn. In either of these scenarios an application request comes through the internet as a whole. Most of the time the request is directly sent to the server that hosts the information the client is seeking. Instead, a reverse proxy serves as an intermediary shielding Web servers from direct interaction with the internet's public.




From a consumer's point of perspective, which is also from a user's perspective, working using a reverse proxy is identical to using direct connections to an internet server. It's exactly the same however the user is unable to be able to discern the difference. The client asks for a resource and then receives it without any further configuration needed from the client.




Reverse proxies can provide features such as:




Secured centrally for Web Server Layer.


Controlling traffic coming inbound according to rules you can create.


The caching feature has been added to the app.




While centralized security is a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy servers, reverse proxies provide this feature only to the server layer and only the layer that clients use. Instead of managing firewalls for Web server layers, which can contain a variety of servers and various configurations, most of the firewall security is concentrated on the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, the elimination of the responsibility to interact with a firewall and also interacting with requests from clients without the need for web servers enables them to concentrate on serving the needs of their customers.




In the event that there's multiple servers hosted by a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy is responsible to direct which requests are routed at the server. There could be multiple web servers providing identical content providing various types of resources or a mixture of both. These servers can be using the HTTP protocol in the same way as an ordinary web server however, they may also use additional protocols for applications servers, such as FastCGI. You can also configure reverse proxy servers to redirect the clients towards specific servers based on the resource requested or to adhere to specific rules for traffic load.




Reverse proxies also can benefit from their position ahead of web servers, by providing caching capabilities. The large static files can be configured with caching rules to avoid hitting web servers with every request. There are even solutions that allow the server to serve static assets immediately without needing to connect to the web server even once. Furthermore reverse proxy is able to manage compression of these assets.




The popular Nginx web server also functions as a very popular reverse proxy option. Although Apache can also be a reverse proxy option however, Apache is a reverse proxy service. Apache web server also comes with reverse proxy function that is an added attribute of Apache whereas Nginx was initially designed to and is focused on its reverse proxy feature.



Differentiating Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Examples



Because "forward" and "reverse" are associated with directionality, as well as false comparisons to "incoming" or "outgoing" traffic, the labels could be confusing, as both types of proxies handle responses and requests. A better approach to differentiate between reverse and forward proxy is to study the specifications of the application that you are building.




A reverse proxy could be beneficial when creating an application that runs web-based applications on the internet. They are your web servers when you interact on the internet.




Forward proxy is useful when placed in front of clients for personal use or within an office environment. They are your client's representative when you interact with the internet.




A case-based distinction instead of focusing solely on commonly used naming conventions can help in avoiding confusion.



Conclusion



This article defined the meaning of a proxy using two kinds: the forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Practical applications and a review of the beneficial features were utilized to differentiate between forward and reverse proxies. If you're interested to learn more about the process of implementing proxy servers, you can refer to our tutorial on how to set up Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy with Apache using Ubuntu 20.04. Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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