It is a proxy is also referred to a proxy server is software that sits as a mediator between client and server over the internet. Without the use of a proxy, users could send a request for a resource directly to the server and it would then serve the requested resource directly to the user. Although this method is easy to grasp and implement, the addition of proxies can provide advantages such as greater performance as well as privacy, security and many more. As an additional layer for being able to pass through, a proxy acts as a security guard to the internet between users and servers.

The general consensus is it is the case that the mix of servers hardware with the software that is installed to make proxy connections is commonly referred too as proxy servers. In this article, we'll focus on proxies typically described as software as well as those utilized in conjunction with web servers. This article will provide the full description of two types of proxy which are a forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each type has its own use case, often confused because of the identical namesake convention.

This article will provide some knowledge about what proxies are and what their subtypes, and the ways they can be useful in common configurations. Through this article you'll be able determine the situations that a proxy could be beneficial, and decide on the best forward proxy or reverse proxy for any particular situation.

Understanding Forward Proxies

The forward proxy sometimes known in the form of an open proxy is a representative of a customer that is trying to send requests via the internet to an the server that originated it. In this scenario, it's the scenario that all requests made by the client will rather be sent to the forward proxy. In this scenario, the forward proxy in lieu of the client, will examine the request. It will first will determine if the client is permitted to forward requests through this particular forward proxy. Then, it decides to refuse the request or send it back to its source server. It's not able to connect directly with the web. It is only able to access the information the forward proxy allows it to access.

A typical use of forward proxies is for more privacy or protection online. Forward proxy utilizes the internet as a separate client. In this process, it can use another IP address in contrast to the IP address used by the client.

Depending on how it's been configured in the past, forward proxy servers can give you a variety of options, allowing you to:

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  Beware of ads that track you.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  Determine restrictions based on where you live.
  
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Forward proxies can also be used in systems that offer central security as well as permission-based access, such as in the workplace. In the event that all internet traffic passes through an open forward proxy layer, the administrator is able to permit only a handful of users access to the internet, that is blocked by a firewall that is common to all. Instead of ensuring firewalls are in place at the level of client that may include multiple machines that are different in terms of user and environment the firewall could be installed at the layer which redirects traffic from proxy servers.

Be aware that forward proxies need to be set up manually for use, whereas reverse proxy can be ignored by clients. Based on the fact that clients' IP addresses are sent to the origin server through the forward proxy Privacy and anonymity may be granted or made more transparent.

There are many options to be considered in the case of forward proxies:

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  Apache An open-source, well-known web server with forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Nginx is another well-known open-source web server with forward proxy features.
  
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  Squid is an open-source forward proxy that makes use of an HTTP protocol. This option doesn't include an entire web server service. Check out our article on the best method of setting up Squid proxy to allow connection with private networks in Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol rather than HTTP, making it more suitable for scenarios like peer-to -peer traffic. It's also a good idea to check out how to set up a Dante proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy is a representative of a server on the internet that handles incoming requests from customers on behalf of. Web servers can represent one or more servers. Additionally, it could represent an application server such as Gunicorn. In any of these cases, it is possible to receive a request via a user on the internet in general. Most of the time, the request will be directed directly to the web server, along with the information the user is seeking. The reverse proxy acts as an intermediary to isolate your website server from any interaction with the open internet.

From a user's point of view from the perspective of a customer using a reverse proxy isn't any different than communicating with the webserver in direct communication. It's basically the same and the client is unable to tell the difference. The client requests a resource and then receives it, without any additional configuration needed for the end user.

Reverse proxy proxies can provide options, such as:

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  Centrally secured to protect Web Server Layer.
  
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  Sending traffic to be directed according to rules that you can set up.
  
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  Additional functionality to cache data.
  
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While central security is a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy solutions, reverse proxy provides this benefit to only the server layer, and not to the layer that connects to the client. Instead of the maintenance of firewalls at the layer of web servers which can contain several servers that have different configurations, the majority of firewall security is centered on the reverse proxy layer. In addition, the removal of the requirement of interfacing with firewalls and responding to requests from clients far from web servers allows firewalls to concentrate on serving the requirements of their clients.

If there are multiple servers that are behind a reverse proxy the reverse proxy will also take care of how requests are routed on which server. Multiple web servers may be running on the same server, providing different kinds of resources or a mix of the two. These servers may use the HTTP protocol as a conventional web server. They can also use applications server protocols such as FastCGI. You can set up reverse proxy servers to send customers to specific servers according to the type of resource they're searching for, or adhere to certain rules for traffic load.

Reverse proxies also profit from their positioning prior to web servers, by providing the capacity of caching. Large static assets can be set up using caching rules to prevent having to connect to web servers with each request, with certain solutions offering the possibility to directly serve static resources without having to connect with the server for even one time. Furthermore, reverse proxy could handle the compression of these assets.

The well-known Nginx web server also functions as an acknowledged reverse proxy feature. While you can use it, Apache web server is also equipped with reverse proxy function it's a distinct option that's available to Apache while Nginx was initially developed for and was designed to perform reverse proxy functions.

Differentiating Forward and Reverse Proxy Utilizing Differentiation of Forward Proxy and Reverse Use

Because "forward" and "reverse" come with connotations of directionality and false connections to "incoming" in addition to "outgoing" traffic. These labels are confusing because both kinds of proxy are able to handle requests as well as responses. An alternative method to differentiate between forward and reverse proxy services is to study the specifications of the application you're creating.

A reverse proxy can be helpful in the development of a method to offer web-based applications over the internet. They act as your servers whenever you connect to the internet.

Forward proxy can be useful when used by the client for personal use, or in the workplace. They are a representation of your traffic whenever you use the internet.

A distinction based on use case instead of focusing solely upon similar conventions for naming can aid in avoiding confusion.

Conclusion

This article provides the definition of a proxy that includes two major types: the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical application scenarios and a review of the advantageous features were utilized to distinguish forward proxies and reverse proxy. If you're interested exploring the possibilities of proxy services, then take a look at our guide on how to configure Nginx as reverse and web server proxy on Apache on one Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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