proxy, also known as a proxy or proxy server, is a server software that sits as a mediator between client and server over the internet. With no intermediary a user would make a request to purchase an item straight to the server and servers would deliver the item directly to the user. Although this approach is simple to comprehend and use, adding proxies offers benefits like improved security, performance, privacy and more. A proxy that is a pass-through layer acts as a gatekeeper of the internet between servers and clients.




Generally speaking generally speaking, the bundle of server hardware and proxy software is also often referred too as proxy servers. This article will concentrate on proxy servers that are usually referred to as software, as well as ones that work together with web servers. This article will give a synopsis of the two types of proxy servers, which are a forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each has its own usage scenario, which is often misunderstood because of the similar terminology.




This article will provide you with an idea of the types of proxy services and what their subtypes are as well as how they are useful in the typical configurations. Through this article, you will be able to identify the scenarios where you could benefit from a proxy, and determine the most appropriate choice between forward and reverse proxy in any given situation.



Understanding Forward Proxies



Forward proxy also known as the open proxy is an agent for a user who wishes to send a request through the internet to an the server which originated it. In this situation, it's the case that all requests made by the user would prefer to be directed directly towards the forward proxy. Forward proxy acting in position of the customer, will examine the request. It will determine whether the client is able to accept requests from this specific forward proxy. It then decides whether to reject requests or redirect it to the original server. The client doesn't have a an internet connection directly It can only access the information that forward proxy grants the client access.




The most popular reason to utilize forward proxy servers is to gain greater privacy or security on the internet. Forward proxy allows you to browse the internet instead of clients. In the process, it uses a different IP address than the IP address that was originally utilized by the client.




Based on how it was set up according to how it was set up forward proxy can grant you various features and the capability to:




Beware of ads that track you.


Circumvent surveillance.


You can identify limitations based on your geographical place of residence.




Forward proxies are also used in systems that offer central security and access to users based on their permissions, for instance at work. If all internet traffic is routed by an open forward proxy, an administrator is able to grant access only to specific individuals to access the web, which is blocked by a standard firewall. Instead of having firewalls installed for the client layer, which can comprise a range of devices that are different in terms of user and environment A firewall can be set up at an forward proxy layer.




Be aware that forward proxies need to be manually setup before they are able to be used for use and reverse proxy's are able to be seen by users. Depending on whether an IP address for a user is sent to the server that originated it via the forward proxy Privacy and anonymity could be granted or kept in the dark.




There are several options to take into consideration for forward proxies:




Apache An open source, well-known web server offering forward proxy capability.


Nginx: Another well-known open source server for hosting websites with forward proxy capability.


Squid: A free forward proxy that uses the HTTP protocol. It's not an entire Web server. Check out our guide on how to configure Squid proxy so that it allows private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante Forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP to ensure it is more suitable for scenarios like peer-to-peer communication. You might also want to look at how you can configure Dante proxy for private connections in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



A reverse proxy functions as an intermediary for the web server which takes care of incoming requests from clients on behalf of. Web servers can represent one or more servers. It could also be an application server like Gunicorn. In all these instances, the request for an application comes by a user of the internet in general. Most of the time, the request will go directly to the server hosting the information the client is seeking. Contrarily, a reverse proxy functions as an intermediary in order to shield Web server from any direct contact with the internet's open.




From a perspective of the user's viewpoint, interfacing via reverse proxy is the same as working with Web server in direct contact. It functions the same as the web server, and the user is unable to discern the distinction. Clients can request the resource and is then provided with the resource without any additional configuration by the client.




Reverse proxy proxies provide certain features, such as:




Centrally secured for Web Server Layer.


Directing incoming traffic by implementing rules that you establish.


The caching functionality was added to the application.




While central security is an advantage of both forward and reverse proxy services, reverse proxies do this feature to the web server layer, and not to the client layer. In lieu of the maintenance of firewalls at the layer of web servers that can include multiple servers that are configured differently The majority of the firewall security is aimed at the reverse proxy layer. Also, the removal of the obligation to interface with a firewall and responding to requests from clients from web servers enables them to concentrate entirely on meeting the requirements of their clients.




If there are more than one servers running through a reverse proxy the reverse proxy may be also responsible for directing the requests that are directed to which server. There could be multiple web servers serving similar resources but each of them offering a different kind of services or a mixture of both. These servers may be running an HTTP protocol to function as a standard web server, but they can include protocols used by applications like FastCGI. There is the possibility to configure a reverse proxy to redirect visitors to specific server according to the type of resource they're searching for, or to follow specific rules for traffic load.




Reverse proxies are also able to benefit from their position before web servers, by providing the capacity of caching. Large static assets are able to be configured using rules for caching to avoid hitting web servers on every request. There are options that offer an option to provide static files directly without connecting directly to the website server. In addition, reverse proxy can manage compressing these assets.




The well-known Nginx web server is also an extremely popular reverse proxy option. Although Apache has a reverse proxy option, the Apache web server is equipped with a reverse proxy features, it is a different option in Apache but Nginx was initially designed and primarily focused on the reverse proxy feature.



The difference in Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Cases



Since "forward" as well as "reverse" are both associated with directionality, they can also lead to inaccurate comparisons to "incoming" or "outgoing" traffic. They can cause confusion since both kinds of proxies can manage requests and responses. In addition, the most effective method of separating those proxies that are forward or reverse is to examine the needs of the application that you are building.




Reverse proxy is helpful when building a solution to deliver web applications to the internet. They serve as your servers whenever you connect to the internet.




Forward proxy can be beneficial when they are put before the client for personal use or in a workplace setting. They are your client's proxy whenever you interact on the internet.




Differentiating by case of use rather than focusing solely on similar naming conventions will make sure that you do not get confused.



Conclusion



This article defined what a proxy is with two types, namely the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical applications and an exploration of useful features were utilized to distinguish between reverse and forward proxies. If you're interested in knowing more about how to implement proxies, you should read our tutorial on how to set up Nginx as an internet server as well as reverse proxy in Apache on one Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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