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A proxy is also known as proxy servers is software that acts as an intermediary between client and a server on the internet. Without the use of a proxy, an individual will send a request for the item to an online server, and the server will deliver the item directly to the user. Although this method is easy to understand and implement, the addition of proxies can provide advantages in terms of improved performance, privacy, security, and much more. In addition to adding a layer of security proxy servers also act as a security guardian for the internet between clients and servers.




The consensus is that the server hardware along with installed proxy software is also frequently known as proxy servers. This article will be focusing on proxies typically classified as software and within the web server context. We will present a summary of the two primary types that are forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each type has its own use that can cause confusion because of a similar name convention.




This article will provide you with an idea of the proxy's purpose and what subtypes they are and how they work in the common configurations. In this article, you'll be able to identify the scenarios where it's beneficial to utilize a proxy and choose the best option between forward proxy and reverse proxy in any circumstance.



Understanding Forward Proxies



In the same way, a forward proxy sometimes referred to as or an open proxy acts as a representative of a client who wants to send an internet request to an source server. In this scenario every request from the client will instead be routed straight to the forward proxy. Forward proxy acting on instead of the user will review the request. It will first determine if the client is authorized to accept requests from this specific forward proxy. Then, it decides if it wants to reject an request and transfer it onto the original server. The client is unable to access directly the internet. It only has access to what the forward proxy permits it access to.




The primary reason for people to utilize forward proxy servers is to increase privacy or security when surfing the internet. A forward proxy can be used to access the internet place of a client, and, in this way it could employ a different IP address than the IP address originally that the client uses.




Based on the way it was configured in the past, forward proxy servers can give you a variety of options and allow you to:




Beware of ad-tracker.


Circumvent surveillance.


You can determine limitations based on your geographical place of residence.




Forward proxies can also be employed in systems that offer central security and authorization based access, for example, in the workplace. When all internet traffic passes through an open forward proxy, administrators can restrict access to only those clients who are filtered through an common firewall. Instead of having firewalls to protect the client layer, which could include a variety of machines that have different user and environment the firewall could be put within the forward proxy layer.




It is important to note that settings for forward proxy must be manually set up to function, while reverse proxy settings are ignored by clients. Based on whether the IP address of the client is passed to the original server via the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity can be granted or denied.




There are several possibilities to consider for forward proxies




Apache: A popular open-source webserver that includes forward proxy capabilities.


Nginx: Another renowned open-source webserver, this one with forward proxy features.


Squid: A no-cost forward proxy that uses the HTTP protocol. It doesn't provide a complete web server solution. Take a look at our step-bystep guide to install Squid proxy to permit private connections within Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante forward proxy that runs the SOCKS protocol rather than HTTP which makes it better suitable for situations like peer-to-topeer traffic. You can also examine the procedure for installing a Dante proxy to connect privately in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



A reverse proxy serves as a representative of web servers that handle any requests that come in from clients in its place. Web servers can comprise one or more servers. Also, it could serve as an application server like Gunicorn. In any of these situations, the request for an application comes through the internet in general. In most cases the request is sent directly to the web server with the information the client wants. Reverse proxy, however, serves as an intermediary securing Web servers from direct interaction with the public internet.




From a consumer's point view that is a user's viewpoint, interfacing via a reverse proxy identical to working with direct connections to an internet server. It's exactly the same however the user is unable to discern the distinction. The client makes a request for an item and receives it, without any additional configuration needed by the client.




Reverse proxies provide features such as:




Secured centrally for Web Server Layer.


Controlling traffic coming inbound according to rules that you can set up.


The caching functionality is now available to users.




While central security is a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy servers, reverse proxy providers offer this feature to only the server layer, only the layer that clients use. Instead of managing firewalls on Web server layers which may contain many servers and different configurations, the majority of firewall security can be focused at the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, the elimination of the responsibility to interact with firewalls as well as dealing with clients' requests without the need for web servers enables them to focus on meeting the needs of their customers.




If there are multiple servers being hosted using a reverse-proxy, the reverse proxy is responsible for directing which requests go to which server. There may be several web servers providing identical content or offering various types of resources or a combination of both. They can use the HTTP protocol in the same way as a traditional web server, however, they may also use different protocols for application servers such as FastCGI. You can also set up reverse proxy to direct clients to specific servers in accordance with the resource requested or to follow specific rules regarding traffic load.




Reverse proxies may also make use of their location ahead of web servers, by providing caching capabilities. Large static assets can be set up by using caching rules in order to avoid hitting web servers with every request. There are even solutions that allow the server to serve static assets directly without having to connect to a web server even once. Additionally, the reverse proxy can manage compression of these assets.




The popular Nginx web server is also used as an extremely popular reverse proxy service. Even though Apache can also be a reverse proxy solution, it is not a reverse proxy solution. Apache web server is also equipped with a reverse proxy functionality as an additional attribute of Apache while Nginx was originally designed to and is focused on the reverse proxy feature.



Distinguishing Forward Proxy from Reverse Proxy Use Examples



Since "forward" as well as "reverse" have connotations of directionality, and false comparisons with "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic, the labels could be confusing as both types of proxies deal with requests and responses. A better approach to differentiate between reverse and forward proxy is to look at the specifications of the application you're creating.




Reverse proxy is helpful when building an application that runs web-based services over the internet. They are your web servers whenever you connect to the internet.




Forward proxy can be beneficial when it is placed in front of customers to use for personal reasons or in a corporate environment. They are your client's representative when you connect to the internet.




The use case-based differentiation instead of focusing on commonly used naming conventions can help in eliminating confusion.



Conclusion



This article clarified the definition of a proxy with the two kinds: the forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Practical applications and a review of beneficial features were used to distinguish between forward and reverse proxy. If you're interested to learn more about the process of implementing proxy services, check out our guide on how to set up Nginx as a reverse and web server proxy with Apache in the Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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