Proxy Sites - Relax, It is Play Time!

A proxy is also known as proxy servers is software that functions as a mediator between a client and a server on the internet. Without the need for proxy servers, users can send a request for something directly through a server, and the server will deliver the item directly to the client. Although this method is easy to understand and implement, the addition of proxies can offer advantages in terms increased performance and privacy, security and much more. Apart from providing a layer of security, proxies act as a security guardian for the internet, separating clients from servers.

The consensus is that the set of server hardware along with installed proxy software is also frequently called proxy servers. However, this article will be focusing on proxies typically classified as software, and in the case of web servers. We will present a summary of the two principal kinds, namely which are a forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each has its own specific usage, which can be confusing because of a similar naming convention.

This article will provide you with an idea of the nature of proxies and the subtypes of them, as well as how they function in typical setups. Through the article you'll discover how to determine the situations that are the best to utilize a proxy and decide on the appropriate choice between reverse proxy and forward proxy, in any situation.

Understanding Forward Proxies

In another way, a forward proxy sometimes known as or an open proxy acts as a representative of a customer who wishes to forward a request via the internet to an source server. In this scenario every request made by the client will instead be directed direct to the forward proxy. This forward proxy in the place of the client will examine the request. The first step is to determine if this user is authorized receive requests from this particular forward proxy. Then, it decides if it wants to deny a request and forward it to the server that originally received it. The client is not able to have direct access to the internet. It can only access what the forward proxy permits the client access.

The most popular reason to use forward proxies is to improve privacy or security on the internet. Forward proxy allows you to access the internet in the place of a client and in this manner, it may use an IP address that is different from the IP address originally that the client uses.

Depending on how they've been set up in the past, forward proxy servers can give you a variety of options. They allow you to:

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  Beware of ad-tracker.
  
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
  
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  You will be able to identify any limitations based on your geographic place of residence.
  
  

Forward proxies may also be used in systems that provide central security and permission-based access, for example, at work. If all internet traffic flows through an open forward proxy, administrators are able to restrict access to certain clients to the internet filtered through an common firewall. Instead of having firewalls for the client layer that may comprise a range of devices that are different in user and operating environments, the firewall could be put within the forward proxy layer.

Be aware that forward proxy settings have to be manually configured for use to function in reverse proxies, whereas forward proxies are able to be ignored by clients. Depending on the type of IP address of a user is sent to the origin server via forward proxy privacy and anonymity can be granted or denied.

There are several alternatives to think about for forward proxies

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  Apache The Apache is a popular open-source web server with forward proxy features.
  
  
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  Nginx: Another renowned open-source webserver that has forward proxy features.
  
  
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  Squid is a free forward proxy that utilizes the HTTP protocol. This doesn't offer an entire web server solution. Take a look at our step-bystep guide to create Squid proxy to allow private connections within Ubuntu 20.04.
  
  
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  Dante forward proxy that runs using the SOCKS protocol, instead of HTTP this makes it more appropriate for scenarios such as peer-to-topeer connections. You can also examine the procedure for installing the Dante proxy to connect privately in Ubuntu 20.04
  
  

Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy functions as a proxy for web servers, which handles any requests that come in from clients in its place. The web server could comprise one server or several servers. It could also be a server for applications like Gunicorn. In any of these scenarios, an application request is made from a user via the internet generally. In most cases the request is directly sent to the web server along with the information that the client is seeking. A reverse proxy serves as an intermediary protecting Web servers from direct contact with the internet's public.

From the point of viewpoint, or a user's viewpoint, interfacing using a reverse proxy is similar to working with an internet server direct. It's exactly the same thing, however the user is unable to see the differences. The client asks for an item and receives it, with no additional configuration required by the client.

Reverse proxies offer features like:

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  Centrally secured for Web Server Layer.
  
  
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  Controlling traffic that is inbound, based on rules you can create.
  
  
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  The caching functionality has been added to the app.
  
  

While centralized security is a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy servers, reverse proxies provide this feature only to the server layer and only the layer that clients use. Instead of maintaining firewalls for servers on the internet, that could contain multiple servers with different configurations, the bulk of firewall security can be targeted at the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, removing the responsibility to interact with firewalls as well as interacting with requests from clients outside of web servers allows them to focus on meeting the requirements of their clients.

If there are multiple servers being hosted with a reverse-proxy the reverse proxy is responsible to direct which requests are routed to which server. There may be several web servers offering identical content or offering different kinds of content or a mixture of both. These servers can be using the HTTP protocol exactly the same way as a standard web server but they can include different protocols for application servers like FastCGI. You can also set up a reverse proxy to direct clients to specific servers based upon the resource requested or to follow specific rules regarding traffic load.

Reverse proxies also can make use of their position prior to web servers by providing the ability to cache. The large static files can be set up using caching rules to prevent hitting web servers with every request. There are solutions that permit the server to serve static assets directly without having to connect to the web server once. Additionally, the reverse proxy can control compression of these files.

The popular Nginx web server also functions as a well-known reverse proxy solution. While Apache has a reverse proxy service however, Apache is a reverse proxy service. Apache web server also comes with reverse proxy feature, it is an additional characteristic of Apache whereas Nginx was initially designed to focus on its reverse proxy feature.

Differentiating Forward Proxy and reverse Proxy Use Examples

Since "forward" and "reverse" have a connotation of directionality, as well as false comparisons to "incoming" or "outgoing" traffic the labels could be confusing, since both types of proxy 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 beneficial when creating a solution to provide web-based applications on the internet. They serve as your web servers whenever you connect to the internet.

Forward proxy can be useful when it is displayed before clients for personal use or within an office environment. They are your client's representative whenever you use the internet.

A case-based distinction instead of focusing on common naming conventions can aid in avoidance of confusion.

Conclusion

This article defined the meaning of a proxy with the two kinds of proxy: the forward one and reverse proxy. Practical applications as well as a summary of the most beneficial features were used to distinguish between forward and reverse proxies. If you're interested to learn more about how to implement proxy services, check out our guide on how you can configure Nginx as a web server and reverse proxy using Apache in Ubuntu 20.04. Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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