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The term "proxy" refers to a proxy, also called a proxy server, is a program which acts as an intermediary for a client and server via the internet. Without the proxy, a user could send a request for resources directly to a server, and it would then serve the resource directly back towards the customer. This method is simple to grasp and implement however, the addition of proxy servers could bring benefits including improved speed, privacy, security, and more. As an additional layer of pass-through, the proxy serves as a security guardian of the internet, separating clients from servers.




Generally speaking, the combined system of server hardware that is paired with installed proxy software is frequently called proxy servers. This article will focus on proxies typically described as software as well as in relation to web servers. There will be a discussion of two types of proxies, the other being one that is a forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each kind has its own specific application and can be confusing due to the similar namesake convention.




This article will provide you with an understanding of types of proxies and subtypes in terms of their importance for the common setups. If you read the article carefully, you'll be able discern situations in which using proxies can be advantageous and choose the best choice between reverse proxy and forward proxy depending on the circumstance.



Understanding Forward Proxies



Forward proxy also known in the context of an open proxy is the agent of a client who wishes to forward a request via the internet to an the server which originated it. In this scenario, all attempts to make requests through the client's end will instead be sent directly to forward proxy. The forward proxy, instead of the client will review the request. The first step is to verify if the client is allowed to receive requests from this specific forward proxy. It will then reject any request, or redirect it to the origin server. The client is not able to have direct access to the internet; it can only reach what the forward proxy allows it to access.




The most common reason for using forward proxy servers is the increased privacy or anonymity when surfing the web. Forward proxy's access to the internet as clients and as such it may make use of an IP address different from the IP address of the user.




Depending on how it's been configured the forward proxy will give you a range of options in addition to the ability to:




Beware of Ad-trackers.


Circumvent surveillance.


Find restrictions that are based on your area.




Forward proxies are also utilized in systems that provide central security and access based on permissions, such as in workplaces. All internet traffic can pass through a forward proxy and administrators are able to allow only specific clients access to the internet using a common firewall. Instead of putting firewalls in place for the client layer that can involve many machines that have different settings and environments and users, a firewall can be put in an forward proxy layer.




It is important to remember the forward proxy configurations need to be manually setup to allow them to be used in order to be used in reverse proxies, whereas forward proxy servers are unable to be detected by users. Based on whether or not an IP address belonging to the user is sent to the server that originated it through the forward proxy, the privacy and security settings, it can be granted or left transparent.




There are many alternatives to take into consideration when considering forward proxy choices:




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


Nginx A renowned open-source web hosting server with forward proxy functions.


Squid: A free forward proxy that uses it's HTTP protocol. It's not the entire Web Server System. It is possible to refer to our article on the best method to set up Squid proxy to handle connection to private networks in Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante Forward proxy that makes use of the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP and HTTP, which makes it better suited to scenarios like peer-to-peer traffic. You can also learn how to configure Dante proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy serves as an intermediary between web servers and is able to handle requests from customers for the web server. The web server may serve as a single server, or a number of servers. Additionally, it can be an application server, such as Gunicorn. In all cases, an application request comes from a user via the internet in general. The request will typically go directly to the web server that hosts what the client is trying to find. The reverse proxy acts as an intermediary in order to block your server from interaction with the internet's open.




From a consumer's point view, interacting with reverse proxy isn't different from connecting to the web server directly. It's basically the same but the client cannot tell the difference. Client requests an item and receives it, with no additional configuration needed by the client.




Reverse proxy providers provide features like:




The web server is secured centrally.


Sending traffic to be directed according to the rules you establish.


The caching functionality was added to the application.




While centralized security can be a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy, reverse proxies provide this only for the web server layer and not to the client layer. Instead of maintaining firewalls on Web server layers which may contain multiple servers with various configurations, the bulk of firewall security is directed towards the reverse proxy layer. In addition, taking the burden of interfacing with firewalls and responding to clients' requests off of web servers lets them focus on serving resources.




If there are more than one servers with a reverse-proxy in place, the reverse proxy is also accountable for deciding which requests are directed to which server. There could be multiple web servers operating on the same server, each offering different types of resources or a combination of the two. These servers may use the HTTP protocol, which is similar to a traditional web server. They may also use application server protocols like FastCGI. You can also set up reverse proxy settings to redirect the clients towards specific servers based on the service being requested or to adhere to certain traffic load rules.




Reverse proxies also can take advantage of their placement on top of web servers through the capability of caching. The large static files can be set up with caching rules to avoid getting into web servers for every request, with some options even allowing you to provide static files without having to connect directly to the website server. Additionally, reverse proxy can handle the compression of these assets.




The well-known Nginx webserver is a wildly popular reverse proxy service. While it's not a reverse proxy, the Apache web server comes equipped with reverse proxy function as an additional feature that is available for Apache however Nginx was originally designed to and is specifically designed for the reverse proxy feature.



Differentiating Forward Proxy from Reverse Proxy Use Situations



Since "forward" in addition to "reverse" are associated with the notion of directionality as well as inaccurate comparisons to "incoming" in addition to "outgoing" traffic. These terms can be confusing since both types of proxy servers can be used to manage requests and responses. A different method of distinguishing between forward and reverse proxy servers would be to analyze the specifications of the software you're creating.




Reverse proxy can be a valuable tool when you are creating a solution for serving applications that are on the web. They are your web servers when you interact with the Internet.




A forward proxy is useful to use when you are in front clients for personal use or even in a work environment. They are a representation of your traffic whenever you connect to the internet.




A distinction based on use rather than focusing on the common names can help in getting rid of confusion.



Conclusion



The article explained what a proxy is along with two types being the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical examples of its use as well as a discussion of most effective features were utilized to distinguish forward proxies from reverse. If you're interested in learning how to set up proxies, we suggest you go through our tutorial on how to configure Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy using Apache using and Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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