The term "proxy" refers to a proxy, also called a proxy server is program which acts as an intermediary for client and server via the internet. Without proxy servers, a user could send a request for resources directly to the server and it would deliver the resource directly to the user. While this is a simple method to comprehend and implement, however, adding proxy servers can bring advantages like increased efficiency as well as privacy, security and many more. As an additional layer of passing through, the proxy acts as a security guardian of the internet between clients and servers.

In general, the combination of server hardware that is paired with the software for proxy installation is frequently described as proxy servers. This article will concentrate on the proxies that are usually described as software and in the context of web servers. There will be a discussion of the two main types of proxies, one being forward proxy and the other being a forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each type has its own application and can be confusing due to the resemblance of namesake convention.

This article will give you an idea of the different subtypes and proxies in terms of their importance for the common setups. If you read this article, you'll be able discern situations in which the use of proxies is beneficial, and you can then select the most appropriate option between forward proxy and reverse proxy, based on the circumstances.

Understanding Forward Proxies

Forward proxy also known as open proxy. An open proxy acts as the representative of a client who wishes to forward a request via the internet to an the server which originated it. In this case, all attempts to make requests through the client will instead be routed directly to the forward proxy. Forward proxy in place of the client, will look into the request. First, it will find out if the client is allowed to receive requests from this specific forward proxy. It will then reject any request, or redirect it to the server that originated it. The client is not able to have direct connection to the internet; it can only reach what the forward proxy allows it to access.

The primary reason for people to use forward proxies is increased privacy or anonymity online. A forward proxy accesses the internet as clients, and, in this manner it can make use of an IP address distinct from the original IP address used by the client.

Based on the way it's configured, forward proxy will give you a range of options and the capability to:

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  Beware of ads-trackers.
  
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
  
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  Find restrictions based on your location.
  
  

Forward proxies also are employed in systems that offer central security and permission-based access, like in workplaces. When all internet traffic flows through a forward proxy Administrators are able to allow only specific clients access to the internet using a common firewall. Instead of putting firewalls in place to protect the client layer which can involve many machines that have different settings and users and environments A firewall could be put in an forward proxy layer.

It is crucial to keep in mind to set forward proxy preferences must be manually set up to permit them to be used in order to use them in reverse proxies, whereas forward proxies are able to not be detected by users. Based on whether or not an IP address belonging to a user is sent to the server that originated it via the forward proxy privacy and security can be granted or kept in the dark.

There are numerous alternatives to take into consideration when considering forward proxy options:

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  Apache An open source well-known web server that has forward proxy functions.
  
  
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  Nginx Another well-known open-source server used for web hosting with forward proxy functions.
  
  
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  Squid: A free forward proxy that utilizes the HTTP protocol. It's not the entire webserver system. You can refer to our article on the best method of configuring Squid proxy to allow secure connections within Ubuntu 20.04.
  
  
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  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 check out how to set up Dante proxy for connection to private networks in Ubuntu 20.04
  
  

Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy functions as an intermediary to web servers and takes care of requests from clients for the web server. The web server can serve as a single server or as a series of servers. Additionally, it can function as an app server, such as Gunicorn. In any case an application request comes by a user on the internet in general. Most of the time, the request will directly go to the web server that hosts what the client is searching for. A reverse proxy serves as a middleman to protect your server from interaction via the web's public.

From the perspective of a user's the consumer's perspective, working with reverse proxy doesn't differ from connecting to the web server directly. It's basically the same but the client can't discern the distinction. Client requests an item and is given it, with no additional configuration needed from the user.

Reverse proxy providers provide features like:

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  The web server is secured centrally.
  
  
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  The sending of traffic in accordance with the rules you have set.
  
  
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  Added functionality for caching.
  
  

While centralized security can be a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy, reverse proxies provide this feature only to just the Web server layer, but not the client layer. Instead of maintaining firewalls on Web server layers, which could contain multiple servers with various configurations, the bulk in firewall protection is aimed towards the reverse proxy layer. In addition, taking the responsibility of connecting to a firewall and interacting with clients' requests off of web servers enables them to focus on serving resources.

In the case of multiple servers that have a reverse proxy in place, the reverse proxy is also responsible for controlling which requests go at the server. There could be multiple web servers that are running on the same server, all serving different types of resources or a mix of both. These servers may use the HTTP protocol similar to a conventional web server. They could also incorporate applications server protocols such as FastCGI. It is also possible to configure reverse proxy settings to redirect the clients towards specific servers based on the service requested, or to observe certain guidelines regarding traffic load.

Reverse proxies can also make use of their location on top of web servers through the capability of caching. Large static assets can be set up with caching rules in order to avoid the web server from being hit with each request, with some solutions even allowing you to provide static files without having to connect directly to the website server. Additionally, reverse proxy can handle compression of these assets.

The popular Nginx web server has become a wildly popular reverse proxy option. Although it's not a reverse proxy, the Apache web server also comes equipped with reverse proxy feature as an additional function that is available to Apache however Nginx was originally designed to and specifically designed for the reverse proxy feature.

Distinguishing Forward Proxy from Reverse Proxy Use Situations

Since "forward" along with "reverse" are both associated with a sense of directionality and also false comparisons with "incoming" in addition to "outgoing" traffic, these labels can be confusing, as both types of proxies can be used to handle requests as well as responses. Another method of separating between reverse and forward proxy servers is to study the specifications of the software you're developing.

Reverse proxy is a useful tool when you're creating a solution for serving websites on the internet. They are your web servers during any interaction through the Internet.

A forward proxy is useful to use when you are facing clients for personal usage or in a work environment. They can be used to represent the traffic of your clients whenever you connect to the internet.

A distinction based on usage rather than using the standard names can help in getting rid of confusion.

Conclusion

The article described what a proxy is as well as two types of them: the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Examples of how to use them as well as a discussion of most beneficial features was used to differentiate forward proxies and reverse proxies. If you'd like to explore how to set up proxies, we recommend you read our tutorial on how to configure Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy on Apache using the Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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