An proxy is also known as an application called a proxy, serves to act as a mediator between the server and client on the internet. In the absence of proxies, a client could submit a request for a service directly from a server and the server could serve the resource directly back to the user. Although this method is easy to grasp and implement, the addition of proxies can bring benefits like improved performance and security, privacy, and much more. As an additional pass-through layer the proxy serves as a gatekeeper of the internet between servers and clients.




In general, the combination of server hardware and installed proxy software is commonly called proxy servers. This article will concentrate on proxies that are traditionally described as software and when referring to web servers. This article will provide the full description of two kinds: forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each type has its own usage situation, and it is frequently not understood due to the similar terms.




This article will provide details about what proxy services and subtypes are, and how they work in a variety of configurations. By reading this article, you will be able identify instances where the use of proxies is advantageous and pick the best option between reverse and forward proxy depending on the situation.



Understanding Forward Proxies



The forward proxy, sometimes referred to as the open proxy acts as a representative for a user who wishes to make an internet-based request to the server that made it. In this situation, the entire effort to send requests by the user is instead sent through the forward proxy. A forward proxy acting as a substitute for the client will take a look into the request. Then, it will determine if this client is authorized to send requests via this particular forward proxy. It will then decide whether to reject any request, or to forward it to the server that originated it. The client does not have direct connection directly to internet. It is able to access only the information that forward proxy allows it access to.




A common use of forward proxies is increased privacy or security while using the internet. Forward proxy is able to access the internet instead of a client, and as such it can use an alternative IP address to the original IP address of the client.




Depending on how it's been configured and how it's set up, forward proxy may grant you various features depending the way it's configured, which allows you to:




Do not be a victim of ad tracking.


Circumvent surveillance.


Recognize the restrictions based on your location.




Forward proxies are also used for security systems that are centralized and also for access based on permissions, like at a workplace. When all internet traffic passes via an open forward proxy the administrator is able to grant only a small number of clients access to the internet filtered through the common firewall. Instead of establishing security firewalls at the layer of clients, that could include a variety of computers with various environments and users A firewall can be placed on top of the intermediate layer of forward proxy.




It is important to remember that forward proxies need to be manually configured in order to be used, whereas reverse proxies can not be noticed by the user. Depending on the type IP address of the user who is transferred to the server from which it originated through forward proxy Privacy and anonymity can be granted or not.




There are numerous possibilities to think about when it comes to forward proxy services.




Apache An open source well-known web server that provides forward proxy functions.


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


Squid is a free forward proxy using the HTTP protocol. It doesn't provide the complete web server. We have an article about the best method to set up Squid proxy to connect privately in Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante is a forward proxy that utilizes the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP and HTTP making it more suitable for applications such as peer-to -peer traffic. It is also possible to learn how to set up Dante proxy to allow private connections in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



A reverse proxy acts as an intermediary for a web server that handles any requests that come in from clients on behalf of. The web server could comprise servers, or even multiple servers. Additionally, it can be an application-server such as Gunicorn. In any of these scenarios the request will come via the web in general. In most cases your request is made directly to the web server with the information the user seeks. A reverse proxy functions as an intermediary, separating the webserver from direct interaction with the internet.




From the point of view of a user, the experience of using reverse proxy isn't different from communicating with an internet server direct. It's essentially the same but the client can't see the distinction. The client asks for a resource and then receives it, with no extra configuration required on the part of the client.




Reverse proxies provide features like:




Centralized security to web server.


Controlling traffic that is incoming by implementing rules that you establish.


New feature added to caching.




While centralized security is a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy servers. However, reverse proxies provide this service only to the layer of the webserver and not to clients. Instead of maintaining firewalls on the web server layer, which could contain multiple servers and various configurations, the bulk of firewall security is targeted to the reverse proxy layer. In addition, getting rid of the responsibility of interfacing with firewalls and communicating with requests from clients via web servers allows them to concentrate on serving the needs of their customers.




If there are multiple servers operating with a reverse-proxy the reverse proxy also handles the direction that requests are directed to which servers. There could be multiple web servers running on the same server, providing various kinds of resources or a combination of both. They can utilize the HTTP protocol just like a conventional web server, however they may also be able to be equipped with application server protocols like FastCGI. It is possible to set up reverse proxy to direct visitors to specific server according to the service you request, or to specific rules pertaining to the amount of traffic.




Reverse proxies may also benefit by their position on top of web servers by providing caching capabilities. Massive static files can be created using caching rules to prevent needing to connect with web servers every time. Certain software solutions let you directly serve static files without having to connect with the webserver for even one time. In addition reverse proxy solutions are capable of handling the compression of these files.




The well-known Nginx web server is also used as an extremely popular reverse proxy option. While Apache is a reverse proxy service, the Apache web server does have reverse proxy functions, but it's a separate feature available to Apache as opposed to Nginx was originally designed to focus specifically on reverse proxy features.



Differentiating Forward Proxy from reverse Proxy Use The Case



Since "forward" as well as "reverse" are associated with a sense of directionality and inaccurate comparisons to "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic, the labels can be confusing since both kinds of proxies handle the processing of requests as well as responses. The most effective way to distinguish between reverse and forward proxy providers is to look at the needs of the application that you are developing.




A reverse proxy is useful when building a solution to provide web-based applications over the internet. They act as your web server during any interaction on the web.




Forward proxy can be helpful when put in front of users either for personal use, or even in the workplace. They are a representation of the traffic of your client when you use the internet.




The practice of separating by use case instead of focusing solely on standard naming conventions can help ensure that you don't get confused.



Conclusion



This article will explain the significance of a proxy with the two major types, namely the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical examples of use as well as a review of the useful features were utilized to distinguish forward proxies from reverse proxy. If you're interested to learn more about the benefits of proxies, then you can read our guide on how to set up Nginx as a reverse and web server proxy in Apache on one Ubuntu 20.04 Server.



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