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An proxy is also known as a proxy server is software that functions as a mediator between a client and server on the internet. Without the need for a proxy, a user will send a request for the item to an online server, and the server would deliver the resource directly to the client. Though this approach is simple to comprehend and implement the addition of proxies can provide advantages in terms of improved performance, privacy, security, and more. Alongside adding a layer of security, proxies act as a security guardian for the internet between clients and servers.

There is a general consensus that the collection of servers and the hardware that is used along with proxy software are also known as proxy servers. But, this article will concentrate on proxies which are usually classified as software and within the web server context. This article will give a synopsis of the two principal kinds that are forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each has its own specific usage, which can be confusing due to the same naming convention.

This article will provide you with an understanding of what proxies are and the subtypes of them and how they function in common configurations. In this article, you'll be able to determine the situations that are the best to use a proxy and make the right choice between forward and reverse proxy, in any situation.

Understanding Forward Proxies

In the same way a forward proxy, also called or an open proxy acts as a representative of a user who would like to forward a request via the internet to an the server that originated it. In this case, every request from the client's side will be directed direct via the forward proxy. This forward proxy in in the place of the customer, will look into the request. First, it will determine if this client has the right to receive requests from this specific forward proxy. It then decides whether to deny a request and transfer it onto the original server. The client is unable to directly access the internet. It can only access what the forward proxy permits the client access.

The most common reason to utilize forward proxy servers is to gain greater privacy or security when surfing the internet. A forward proxy is able to access the internet place of a client, and in this manner it could use a different IP address than the original IP address that the client uses.

Depending on how it's been configured in the past forward proxy servers may provide a range 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 can determine limitations based on your geographical place of residence.
  
  

Forward proxies are also employed in systems that offer centralized security and permission based access, like in a workplace. When all traffic on the internet passes via an open forward proxy layer administrators can restrict access to only specific clients on the internet that are filtered through a common firewall. Instead of having firewalls for the client layer which could comprise a variety of machines that have different environments and users, the firewall could be put within the forward proxy layer.

It is important to note that settings for forward proxy have to be configured manually to function and reverse proxies are able to be not recognized by clients. Depending on the type of IP address of the client is passed to the original server via the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity can be granted or denied.

There are a variety of possibilities to consider when it comes to forward proxy options:

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  Apache The Apache is a popular open-source webserver that includes forward proxy functions.
  
  
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  Nginx: Another renowned open-source webserver with forward proxy capabilities.
  
  
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  Squid is a free forward proxy that utilizes an HTTP protocol. Squid isn't a complete Web server service. Follow our step-by-step instructions to create Squid proxy to allow private connections on Ubuntu 20.04.
  
  
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  Dante forward proxy which runs the SOCKS protocol, instead of HTTP which makes it better appropriate for scenarios such as peer-topeer traffic. You can also look into the steps to install the Dante proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04
  
  

Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy acts as a representative of web servers that handle any requests that come in from clients on its behalf. The web server may include one or more servers. Also, it could serve as an application server such as Gunicorn. In any of these situations, the request for an application comes by a user on the internet generally. Most of the time the request will be directly sent to the server that hosts the data the user is asking for. Reverse proxy, however, works as an intermediary, protecting Web servers from direct interactions with the internet's public.

From a consumer's point perspective, which is also an individual's view, connecting with a reverse proxy is similar to working with an internet server direct. It's exactly the same thing, however the client cannot be able to discern the distinction. The client asks for the resource, and is then provided with it without any further configuration needed from the client.

Reverse proxies can provide features such as:

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  Centrally secured to protect Web Server Layer.
  
  
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  Controlling traffic coming inbound according to rules you can design.
  
  
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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 proxy providers offer this feature only to the server layer, it is not available to the client layer. Instead of having firewalls running at servers on the internet, that could contain multiple servers and different configurations, the majority of the firewall security is focused at reverse proxy layers. Also, the removal of the responsibility of interfacing with firewalls as well as interacting with clients' requests outside of web servers permits them to concentrate on serving the requirements of their clients.

In the event that there's multiple servers being hosted with a reverse-proxy the reverse proxy is also responsible for directing which requests go to the server. There may be several web servers that provide identical content offering different types of resource or a mixture of both. These servers may be running the HTTP protocol in the same way as a standard web server but they can include different protocols for application servers such as FastCGI. It is also possible to set up reverse proxy servers to redirect the clients towards specific servers based on the resource requested or to follow specific rules regarding traffic load.

Reverse proxies also can make use of their location ahead of web servers, by providing the ability to cache. Massive static resources can be set up by using caching rules in order to avoid the web server from being hit with each request. There are solutions that permit you to serve static assets directly without having to connect to a web server even once. Additionally reverse proxy solutions can manage compression of these assets.

The popular Nginx web server also functions as an extremely popular reverse proxy option. Although Apache is also a reverse proxy option but Apache is a reverse proxy service. Apache web server is also able to function with reverse proxy feature, it is an additional attribute of Apache while Nginx was designed initially to focus on the 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 with "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic the labels can be confusing since both types of proxy are able to handle requests and responses. The best way to distinguish between forward and reverse proxy is to look at the requirements of the application that you are building.

A reverse proxy could be helpful when building a web-based services over the internet. They act as your web server when you interact on the web.

Forward proxy can be beneficial when it is placed before clients for personal use, or in the corporate setting. They represent your clients when you connect to the internet.

The use case-based differentiation instead of focusing on standard naming conventions could help in eliminating confusion.

Conclusion

This article clarified the definition of a proxy with the two types: the forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Practical applications and a review of the most beneficial features were utilized to differentiate between reverse and forward proxies. If you're interested to learn more about how to implement proxy services, check out our guide on how to configure Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy using Apache on Ubuntu 20.04. Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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