10 Simple Ways The Pros Use To Promote Proxy Sites

A proxy often referred to as a proxy server is software that functions as a mediator between a client and server over the internet. Without the need for proxy servers, users can send a request for the item to an online server, and the server would then deliver the resource directly back to the client. Though this approach is simple to understand and implement, the addition of proxies can offer advantages in terms enhanced performance, privacy, security, and more. In addition to adding a layer of security they also serve as a security guardian for the internet between servers and clients.

The consensus is that the server hardware and proxy software is often known as proxy servers. However, this article will concentrate on proxies typically classified as software and within the context of web servers. We will provide a brief overview of the two principal kinds that are forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each type has its own use that can cause confusion because of a similar naming convention.

This article will give you an idea of the proxy's purpose and what their subtypes are and how they function in typical setups. Through the article you'll learn to identify the scenarios where it's beneficial to use a proxy, and choose the best option between forward and reverse proxy for any scenario.

Understanding Forward Proxies

In the same way a forward proxy, also called an open proxy serves as the representative of a user who would like to send an internet request to an source server. In this scenario every attempt to send requests from the client's side will be routed directly to the forward proxy. Forward proxy acting on in the place of the customer will review the request. The first step is to determine if the client has the right to receive requests from this particular forward proxy. Then, it decides if it wants to refuse a request or transfer it onto the original server. The client is unable to directly access the internet. It only has access to what forward proxy allows the client access.

The primary reason for people to use forward proxies is to improve privacy or security when surfing the internet. A forward proxy can be used to connect to the internet in place of a client, and, in this way it can use a different IP address than the original IP address used by the client.

Depending on how it's been configured in the past forward proxy servers may provide a range of options and 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 centralized security and permission based access, for example, in the workplace. If all internet traffic flows through an open forward proxy, administrators can limit access to those clients who are that are filtered through a common firewall. Instead of putting firewalls to protect the client layer, which could comprise a variety of machines that have different user and operating environments, the firewall could be placed in the forward proxy layer.

Note that the forward proxy setting need to be manually configured for use to use in reverse proxies, whereas forward proxy settings are not recognized by clients. Depending on the type of IP address of a client is transmitted to the source server through the forward proxy privacy and anonymity could be granted or not.

There are many options to take into consideration when it comes to forward proxy options:

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  Apache: A popular open-source web server with forward proxy capabilities.
  
  
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  Nginx: Another popular open-source webserver that has forward proxy features.
  
  
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  Squid: A free forward proxy that utilizes an HTTP protocol. It doesn't provide a complete web server solution. Follow our step-by-step instructions to install Squid proxy to permit private connections within Ubuntu 20.04.
  
  
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  Dante forward proxy that runs on the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP this makes it more suitable for situations like peer-topeer traffic. You can also look into the procedure for installing a Dante proxy to connect privately in Ubuntu 20.04
  
  

Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy functions as a representative of a web server that handles incoming requests from clients. The web server may include one server or several servers. It could also be a server for applications such as Gunicorn. In either of these scenarios an application request is made through the internet generally. In most cases the request is directed directly to the web server with the information the client wants. A reverse proxy serves as an intermediary securing Web servers from direct interactions with the public internet.

From the point of view that is a user's viewpoint, interfacing using a reverse proxy is similar to using direct connections to an internet server. It's exactly the same thing, however the user is unable to be able to discern the difference. The client makes a request for the resource, and is then provided with it without any further configuration required by the client.

Reverse proxies can provide features such as:

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  Secured centrally for Web Server Layer.
  
  
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  Controlling traffic that is inbound, based on rules you can design.
  
  
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  The caching feature was added to the application.
  
  

While centralized security is an advantage of both forward and reverse proxy servers, reverse proxies provide this feature only to the server layer and not the client layer. Instead of maintaining firewalls on Web server layers that can contain a variety of servers and various configurations, the majority of firewall security can be focused at the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, removing the responsibility of interacting with a firewall and also interacting with client requests outside of web servers permits them to focus on meeting the requirements of their customers.

When there is a multitude of servers hosted with a reverse-proxy the reverse proxy will also be responsible to direct which requests are routed at which server. There may be several web servers providing similar content offering different types of resource or a combination of both. These servers may be running the HTTP protocol similar to an ordinary web server but they can include different protocols for application servers like FastCGI. It is also possible to set up a reverse proxy to direct clients to specific servers in accordance with the requested resource or to adhere to specific rules for traffic load.

Reverse proxies can also make use of their position ahead of web servers, by providing the ability to cache. Large static assets can be configured using caching rules to prevent the web server from being hit with each request. There are solutions that permit users to serve static files directly without connecting to a web server even once. Furthermore reverse proxy is able to control compression of these files.

The well-known Nginx web server also functions as a very popular reverse proxy solution. Even though Apache has a reverse proxy option but the Apache web server is also equipped with a reverse proxy feature that is an added attribute of Apache while Nginx was initially designed to and is focused on its reverse proxy feature.

Differentiating Forward Proxy and reverse Proxy Examples

Because "forward" as well as "reverse" are associated with directionality, and false comparisons with "incoming" or "outgoing" traffic the labels could be confusing since both types of proxy deal with requests and responses. The best way to distinguish between reverse and forward proxy is to look at the specifications of the application that you are building.

Reverse proxy is beneficial when creating an application that runs web-based applications on the internet. They act as your web server whenever you connect to the web.

Forward proxy can be useful when it is placed before clients for personal use or within a corporate environment. They are your client's representative when you interact with the internet.

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

Conclusion

This article defined the meaning of a proxy with the two kinds that are forward and the reverse proxy. Practical applications and a review of the beneficial characteristics were employed to identify between reverse and forward proxies. If you're interested in knowing more about how to set up proxy services, check out our tutorial on how to set up Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy with Apache on Ubuntu 20.04. Ubuntu 20.04 server.