The Lazy Man's Guide To Proxy Sites

proxy, also referred to as proxy, also known as proxy or proxy server a server software that acts as a mediator between a client and server via the internet. Without an intermediary, a user could send a request for an item direct to a server and servers would deliver the requested resource directly back to the user. Although this approach is simple to understand and use, adding proxies offers benefits like improved security, performance, privacy, and much more. A pass-through layer proxy acts as a gatekeeper of the internet between clients and servers.




Generally speaking generally speaking, the bundle of server hardware and proxy software is called a proxy server. However, this article will focus on proxy servers that are typically understood as software, as well as those that are used together with web servers. We will present a summary of the two primary kinds, namely the forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each comes with its own specific use case, and is often misunderstood because of the same terms.




This article will give you an idea of the what proxy services and their subtypes are, as well as how they are useful for the most typical configurations. In this article, you will be able to identify the situations where you can benefit from proxy services and determine the most appropriate alternative between forward and reverse proxy options in any given scenario.



Understanding Forward Proxies



Forward proxy also referred to as open proxy, also known as open proxy is an agent of the user who wants to send a request through the internet to an the server that originated the request. In this case, it's the scenario that all requests sent by the client would rather be routed straight at the forward proxy. The forward proxy, acting in instead of the user, will examine the request. At the beginning, it will determine whether the client is able to accept requests from this specific forward proxy. Then, it will either reject requests or redirect it to the server that originated it. The client does not have direct connection to the internet but it is able to access what the forward proxy gives the client access.




The primary reason for people to utilize forward proxy servers is to improve privacy or anonymity online. A forward proxy can be used to browse the internet instead of clients. In the process, it uses an IP address that is different from the original IP address used by the client.




Based on how it has been configured according to the way it was set up, a forward proxy could provide you with a variety of features in addition to the capability to:




Avoid tracking ads.


Circumvent surveillance.


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




Forward proxies are also used in systems that provide central security as well as permission-based access, like at work. If all traffic on the internet is routed through an open forward proxy layer an administrator is able to restrict access to certain people to connect on the internet. The web is then filtered by a typical firewall. Instead of putting firewalls in place for the client layer which can comprise a range of devices that are different in terms of user and environmental settings, a firewall may be set up at an front proxy layer.




Be aware that forward proxies need to be manually set up before they can be used in order to be used in a reverse proxy, whereas forward proxy's are able to be seen by users. Depending on whether an IP address for the user is transmitted to the server that generated it via the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity can be granted or kept in the dark.




There are a variety of possibilities to consider for forward proxies:




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


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


Squid is an open-source forward proxy that utilizes the HTTP protocol. It's not a complete Web server. Read our tutorial on how to configure Squid proxy so that it allows private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante Forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol rather than HTTP to ensure it is more suitable for scenarios such as peer-to -peer traffic. You may also want to look at how you can set up Dante proxy to allow private connections using Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy is an agent for a web server, which handles the incoming requests of clients on behalf. Web servers can represent one server or several servers. It could also represent an application servers, like Gunicorn. In any of these situations the request for an application comes by a user who is on the internet. In most cases the request will be sent directly to the web server hosting the information the user is looking for. In contrast reverse proxy serves as an intermediary that helps to protect Web servers from direct interaction with the internet's open.




From the point of view of the user's view, working using reverse proxy is the same as working with Web server in direct contact. It is functionally similar to the web server and the user is unable to tell the distinction. The client is able to request the resource and receive it, without any additional configuration needed on the part of the client.




Reverse proxy proxies provide certain features, such as:




Secured centrally for Web Server Layer.


Controlling traffic that is incoming according to rules you have set.


A new feature for caching has been added.




While central security is an advantage of both reverse and forward proxy services, reverse proxies apply this feature to their web server layer and not the client layer. In lieu of maintaining firewalls within the layer of web servers that can include multiple servers with different configurations The majority of firewall security is focused on the reverse proxy layer. Also, the removal of the obligation to interface with firewalls and communicating with requests from clients via web servers allows them to concentrate entirely on satisfying the requirements of their customers.




If there are multiple servers that are running via a reverse proxy the reverse proxy may be also responsible for the direction in the requests that are directed to which server. There may be several web servers hosting the same resource, but each one offering a different type of resource or a mix of the two. These servers can be using their own HTTP protocol to serve as a standard web server, but they can include applications server protocols like FastCGI. You can create reverse proxy servers to redirect visitors to specific server according to the type of resource they're looking for, or follow specific rules for traffic load.




Reverse proxies can also utilize their positioning before web servers, by providing the ability to cache. Large static assets can be able to be configured using caching rules to prevent the web server from being hit on every request. There are solutions offering an option to provide static files directly without connecting to the web server in any way. Furthermore, the reverse proxy can manage compressing these assets.




The renowned Nginx webserver is a popular reverse proxy option. While Apache is also a reverse proxy solution however, the Apache web server is equipped with a reverse proxy feature, which is a distinct feature that is part of Apache However, Nginx was originally designed and focused on the reverse proxy function.



The distinction in Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Cases



Since "forward" and "reverse" are both associated with directionality as well as misleading comparisons with "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic, they can cause confusion since both kinds of proxies can respond to requests as well as responses. In addition, the most effective method of separating the forward and reverse proxies would be to look at the requirements of the application you're building.




Reverse proxy is useful when designing an approach to connect web applications to the internet. They act as your servers whenever you connect to the internet.




Forward proxy can be beneficial when they are put before the client for your private use, or even in a working environment. They act as your client's proxy when you use the internet.




Differentiating by case of use instead of focusing on the same names will ensure that you aren't confused.



Conclusion



This article defined the definition of a proxy along with two types, namely the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical applications and an examination of useful features were utilized to distinguish between forward and reverse proxy. If you're looking to learn more about how to implement proxies, you should go through our guide on how to configure Nginx as web service and reverse proxy within Apache on one Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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