If you want to Be A Winner, Change Your Proxy Sites Philosophy Now!

A proxy, also known as a proxy, also known as a proxy server often referred to as the proxy server, is software which serves as an intermediary between client and server over the internet. Without proxy, a user could send a request for resources directly to a server and it will serve direct to users who requested the resource. Although this is a simple process to understand and implement using proxy services, it may provide benefits in the form of improved performance, privacy, security, and more. As an additional layer of pass-through proxy, it acts as a security guard for the internet, separating servers and users.

It is generally accepted that the bundle of server hardware and proxy software is commonly known as a proxy server. In this article, we will concentrate on proxy servers which are usually described as software, and in the context of web servers. You will get a breakdown of the two main types of proxy servers: a forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Each has its own use case, often confused because of a similar name convention.

This article will provide you with an understanding of types of proxy services and what their subtypes are, and their importance in common setups. Through this article, you'll know how to identify the circumstances that a good proxy can be beneficial and pick the right option between forward and reverse proxy depending on the circumstance.

Understanding Forward Proxies

A forward proxy, sometimes known as an open proxy, also known as an open acts as an intermediary between the client who is trying to transmit a request over the internet to a source server. In this case every request sent by the user will be directed straight to the forward proxy. A forward proxy in the client's place, will scrutinize the request. It will first determine whether the client is permitted to receive requests from this specific forward proxy. Then, it will deny any request, or send it to the original server. The client is not able to have direct access to the internet. It has access to only what forward proxy grants its access.

One of the most popular reasons for forward proxy is to increase privacy or security when using the internet. Forward proxy utilizes the internet as a client, and in the process it can use an alternative IP address for the original IP address of the client.

Based on the way it is configured based on how it is configured forward proxy could provide various features based on how it is configured, which allows users to:

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  Avoid tracking ads.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  You can determine limitations based on your geographic location.
  
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Forward proxies can also be used in systems that provide central security as well as access based on permissions, such as in the workplace. All internet traffic can pass through a forward proxy that is open. an administrator is able to restrict access to certain clients on the internet that is protected by an common firewall. Instead of having firewalls installed for the client layer which may include multiple computers with various configurations and users, you can install an firewall that is located in the layer that forwards proxy traffic.

Take note to note that settings for forward proxy need to be set manually for use, but reverse proxies are likely to be disregarded from the clients. Depending on whether an IP address belonging to the user is transmitted to the server from which it originated by the forward proxy privacy and anonymity may be granted or kept secret.

There are a myriad of choices to be considered for forward proxy:

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  Apache is a well-known open-source web server, which provides forward-looking proxy features.
  
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  Nginx: Another widely used open-source web hosting server with forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Squid is an open-source forward proxy that uses an HTTP protocol. It's not the entire web server. Read our guide on how you can install Squid proxy to connect privately in Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante is an forward proxy which uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP to make it more suited for cases like peer-to-peer connections. You might also want to examine how you can create a Dante proxy for secure connections within Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy is the web server that handles incoming requests from customers on its behalf. The web server may represent a single or multiple servers. It could additionally be an app server such as Gunicorn. In any of these situations the request for an application is received from a user via the internet. The majority of the time the request will be sent directly to a web server with the resources the user is seeking. A reverse proxy serves as an intermediary, and separates your web server from contact with the open internet.

From the perspective of the individual client's viewpoint reverse proxy is a process that reverse proxy isn't different from using a Web server to communicate in direct communication. It's the same process however the client can't discern the distinction. Client requests an item, and it is followed by receiving it without the need for any additional configurations required for the end user.

Reverse proxies offer features such as:

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  A centralized layer of security to protect the server.
  
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  The direction of traffic coming in is based upon rules that you can decide to define.
  
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  New caching functionality has been added.
  
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Although centralized security is a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy, reverse proxies apply this feature to the web server layer but not to the client layer. Instead of focusing on the maintenance of firewalls at the web server layer that could contain multiple servers and various configurations, most of firewall security is targeted at the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, removing the responsibility of communicating with firewalls and interacting with requests from clients far from web servers enables them to focus on serving the requirements of their clients.

In the event of multiple servers running through a reverse proxy reverse proxy also is responsible for directing which requests are routed via which server. There may be several web servers offering the same content, and each offering different kinds of services, or a mix of both. They could be running the HTTP protocol that is a standard web server, but can include other protocols for application servers, such as FastCGI. You can also configure reverse proxy settings to direct users to a particular server based on the resource requested or to comply with specific guidelines for the amount of traffic.

Reverse proxies can also take advantage of their position on top of web servers, as they have the ability to store information. The large static files can be set up with caching policies to avoid the web server from being hit with every request. Some solutions providing the option to serve static files directly without contacting Web servers in any form. In addition, the reverse proxy can manage compressing these assets.

The well-known Nginx web server also functions as a popular reverse proxy service. Although there is similar functionality within the Apache web server, it has reverse proxy capabilities as an additional feature that is available for Apache whereas Nginx was initially designed to and is specifically designed for reverse proxy functions.

Differentiating Forward Proxy from Reverse Proxy Use Situations

Because "forward" along with "reverse" have connotations of directionality, and false comparisons with "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic, these labels can be confusing since both types of proxies process requests and responses. Better yet, the best method to differentiate between the reverse and forward proxy types is to study the requirements of the app you're developing.

Reverse proxy is beneficial when you are developing a solution to serve applications that are via the internet. They are your servers whenever you connect to the internet.

Forward proxy can be helpful when displayed before customers for your personal use or in a corporate setting. They are a representation of your customer's traffic when they interact on the internet.

The use case-based differentiation instead of focusing on commonly used naming conventions can help in avoidance of confusion.

Conclusion

This article clarified what a proxy is and the two primary kinds that are forward and reverse proxy. Practical applications and a discussion of the beneficial attributes were used to distinguish forward proxies as well as reverse proxies. If you're interested to learn more about implementation of proxies You can read our tutorial on how to configure Nginx as a reverse and web server proxy for Apache on one Ubuntu 20.04 Server.

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