8 Facts Everyone Should Know About Proxy Sites

A proxy, also known as a proxy, also known as a proxy server also referred to the proxy server, is software which functions as mediator between client and server on the internet. Without proxy, a user will send a request directly to a server, and it would deliver direct to users who requested the resource. While this procedure is easy to comprehend and implement with proxy servers, it could bring benefits in the form of improved performance, privacy, security, and more. In addition to providing a layer of protection proxy functions as a guardian for the internet between servers and clients.




It is generally accepted that the combination of server hardware with installed proxy software is often called a proxy server. In this post, we'll focus on proxy servers which are usually described as software, as well as within the context of web servers. You will get a breakdown of the two main types of proxies: the forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Each has its own use case, often confused because of a similar namesake convention.




This article will provide you with an idea of the different types of proxy and what their subtypes are, as well as their significance in standard setups. Through this post, you'll understand how to identify the circumstances where a reliable proxy is beneficial and select the best alternative between forward and reverse proxy, based on the circumstances.



Understanding Forward Proxies



A forward proxy, also called an open proxy acts as an intermediary between a client that is trying to transmit a request over the internet to a source server. In this instance, any request made by the client will be sent directly through the forward proxy. A forward proxy acting in the client's place, will scrutinize the request. The first step is to determine whether the client is permitted be able to accept requests through this specific forward proxy. It will then reject any request, or send it to the server that originally received it. The client does not have connection to any internet. It is able to access only the web pages that forward proxy grants its access.




A very frequent reasons for forward proxy is to increase privacy and security when surfing the internet. Forward proxy utilizes the internet as a client, and in the process it can use an alternative IP address for the client's original IP address.




Based on how it has been configured depending on the way it's configured, forward proxy may offer different features depending upon the configuration, which allows users to:




Beware of ads that track you.


Circumvent surveillance.


You can identify restrictions based upon your geographical area.




Forward proxies are also used in systems that provide centralized security and permission-based access, like at the workplace. All internet traffic can pass through an open forward proxy, administrators are able to limit access to specific clients on the internet that is protected by a standard firewall. Instead of having firewalls installed for the client layer that may include multiple computers with various configurations and users, there is the option to install a firewall located at the front proxy layer.




Note to note that settings for forward proxy should be manually configured for use, but reverse proxies are likely to be disregarded in the eyes of the user. Based on the fact that your IP address a user is transmitted to the server from which it originated via the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity could be granted or hidden.




There are a myriad of alternatives to think about when it comes to forward proxy options:




Apache is a well-known open-source web server, which provides forward-looking proxy features.


Nginx: Another widely used open-source web hosting server that has forward proxy features.


Squid: A free forward proxy which uses an HTTP protocol. It's not the entire web server. Take a look at our guide on how you can install Squid proxy for private connections within Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante is a forward-looking proxy, which makes use of the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP to make it better suited for cases like peer-to-peer connections. It is also possible to look at how you can configure Dante proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



A reverse proxy is the web server that handles the incoming requests of customers on its behalf. The web server could represent a single, or multiple servers. It could even be an application server such as Gunicorn. In all of these scenarios, an application request comes from a user via the internet. The majority of the time requests are directed directly to the server, which will provide the information the client is requesting. However, a reverse proxy functions as an intermediary that isolates your website server from communication with the internet's open.




From the perspective of the client an individual's point of view, the process of using reverse proxy isn't different from communicating with Web server in direct contact. It's the same thing, and the client cannot discern the distinction. The client makes a request for a resource, which is then followed by the receipt with no additional configurations required for the user.




Reverse proxies provide options like:




A central layer of security to guard the server.


Incoming traffic is directed based upon rules that you can define.


New caching functionality has been added.




While centralized security is a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy, reverse proxies apply this feature to the web server layer but not to the client layer. In lieu of focussing on maintenance of firewalls at the layer of web servers that may contain many servers and different configurations, the majority of the firewall security is targeted at the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, the elimination of the responsibility of interfacing with firewalls and communicating with clients who are far from web servers enables them to focus on serving the needs of their customers.




In the event of multiple servers that are connected via a reverse proxy reverse proxy is also responsible to direct which requests go through which server. There may be several web servers providing identical content, but offering different kinds of services or a mixture of both. They could be running the HTTP protocol, which is a typical web server, but they can also contain different protocols for applications servers such as FastCGI. You can also configure reverse proxy servers to redirect visitors to specific server depending on the service requested or to adhere to certain guidelines regarding the load of traffic.




Reverse proxies benefit from their position over web servers, as they have the ability to cache information. The large static files can be set up with caching policy to avoid hitting web servers with each request. Certain solutions allow you to serve static content directly without connecting to servers on the internet in any manner. Additionally reverse proxy solutions can help compress these assets.




The well-known Nginx web server is also used as a popular reverse proxy service. However, a similar feature within the Apache web server, it does include reverse proxy capabilities as an added feature that is available for Apache whereas Nginx was originally designed for and is specifically designed for reverse proxy functions.



Differentiating Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Cases



Because "forward" in addition to "reverse" have connotations of directionality, and false comparisons with "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic These labels could be confusing because both kinds of proxies process requests and responses. In addition, the most effective method to differentiate between the reverse and forward proxy types is to look at the specifications of the application that you're building.




A reverse proxy can be helpful when building a solution to serve web applications via the internet. They act as your web servers when you interact with the internet.




Forward proxy is helpful when displayed before customers for your own usage, or even in a corporate environment. They represent the traffic of your clients through any interaction on the internet.




A case-based distinction instead of focusing on the standard naming conventions could help in eliminating confusion.



Conclusion



In this article, we explained what aproxy is, and compared it to the two most common types: the forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Practical applications and a discussion of the beneficial attributes were used to identify forward proxies and reverse proxies. If you're interested in learning more about the implementation of proxy servers, you can check out our tutorial on how to configure Nginx as reverse and web server proxy for Apache on one Ubuntu 20.04 Server.



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