The Crucial Difference Between Proxy Sites and Google

A proxy is also known as proxy server software that acts as an intermediary between a client and server over the internet. Without the need for a proxy, an individual will send a request for the item to an online server and the server would then deliver the resource directly to the client. Although this method is easy to grasp and implement, the addition of proxies can bring advantages in terms of enhanced performance and privacy, security and many more. In addition to providing a layer of security, proxies act as a security guardian of the internet between clients and servers.

The consensus is that the set of server hardware along with installed proxy software are also called proxy servers. However, this article will concentrate on proxies which are usually classified as software and within the web server context. This article will give a synopsis of the two main types of proxies, which include a forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each has its own specific usage and can be confusing due to a similar naming convention.

This article will give you an idea of nature of proxies and what their subtypes are and how they work in the common configurations. In the article you'll learn to recognize the circumstances that are the best to use a proxy, and choose the best option between forward and reverse proxy in any circumstance.

Understanding Forward Proxies

In other words, a forward proxy sometimes referred to as or an open proxy serves as the representative of a user who would like to send an internet request to an origin server. In this case, every request made by the client will instead be sent straight to the forward proxy. Forward proxy acting on the place of the client, will review the request. The first step is to determine if this client has the right to accept requests from this particular forward proxy. It then decides whether to refuse a request or forward it to the original server. The client isn't able to directly access the internet. It only has access to what the forward proxy grants the client access.

The most popular reason for using forward proxy services is to increase 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 that the client uses.

Depending on how it's been set up in the past forward proxy servers may offer a wide range of choices and permit 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 geographical location.
  
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Forward proxies are also utilized in systems that offer central security and permission-based access, such as in the workplace. When all traffic on the internet passes through an open forward proxy,, administrators can restrict access to only specific clients on the internet filtered through an common firewall. Instead of putting firewalls installed for the client layer which could comprise a variety of machines that have different user and environment the firewall could be put within the forward proxy layer.

Note that the forward proxy setting must be configured manually to function in reverse proxies, whereas forward proxies are able to be disregarded by clients. Based on whether the IP address of a client is passed to the original server via forward proxy privacy and anonymity may be granted or not.

There are several alternatives to think about when it comes to forward proxy options:

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  Apache The Apache is a popular open-source web server with forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Nginx: Another popular open-source webserver with forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Squid is a free forward proxy that utilizes the HTTP protocol. Squid isn't a complete web server solution. Take a look at our step-bystep guide to install Squid proxy to allow private connections within Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante forward proxy which runs using the SOCKS protocol rather than HTTP which makes it better suitable for situations like peer-to-topeer traffic. It is also possible to look at the procedure for installing the Dante proxy to connect privately in Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy functions as a proxy for web servers that handle the incoming requests of clients. The web server may include one server or several servers. It could also be used as an application server like Gunicorn. In any of these scenarios, an application request comes by a user on the internet in general. In most cases the request is sent directly to the web server with the data the user is seeking. A reverse proxy serves as an intermediary shielding Web server from any direct interactions with the internet's public.

From a consumer's point viewpoint, or from a user's perspective, working with a reverse proxy is similar to using direct connections to an internet server. It's the same, but the client is unable to discern the differences. The client asks for a resource and then receives it without any further configuration required from the client.

Reverse proxies can provide features such as:

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  Secured centrally to protect Web Server Layer.
  
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  Controlling traffic that is inbound, based on rules you can create.
  
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  The caching feature has been added to the app.
  
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While central security is a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy servers, reverse proxies provide this benefit only to the server layer and it is not available to the client layer. Instead of maintaining firewalls on servers on the internet, that could contain multiple servers and different configurations, the bulk of firewall security can be concentrated on reverse proxy layers. Additionally, removing the responsibility to interact with a firewall as well as interacting with client requests outside of web servers allows them to concentrate on providing the requirements of their customers.

In the event that there's multiple servers being hosted with a reverse-proxy the reverse proxy is also responsible to direct which requests are routed at the server. There may be several web servers that provide similar content providing different types of resource or a combination of both. These servers can be using the HTTP protocol exactly the same way as a standard web server however, they may also use other protocols for application servers such as FastCGI. You can also set up reverse proxy to redirect the clients towards specific servers in accordance with the requested resource or adhere to specific rules for traffic load.

Reverse proxies can also benefit from their position before web servers by delivering the ability to cache. The large static files can be configured with caching rules to avoid the web server from being hit with each request. There are even solutions that allow the server to serve static assets directly without connecting to the web server once. In addition reverse proxy is able to handle compression of these assets.

The well-known Nginx web server also functions as an extremely popular reverse proxy solution. While Apache is also a reverse proxy solution however, it is not a reverse proxy solution. Apache web server is also able to function with a reverse proxy functionality that is an added characteristic of Apache however Nginx was initially designed to focus on its reverse proxy feature.

Differentiating Forward Proxy and reverse Proxy Examples

Since "forward" as well as "reverse" have connotations of directionality, as well as false comparisons to "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic the labels can be confusing because both types of proxy deal with requests and responses. An alternative method to differentiate between forward and reverse proxy is to examine the specifications of the application you're creating.

A reverse proxy can be beneficial when creating an application that runs web-based applications on the internet. They act as your web server when you interact on the internet.

Forward proxy is useful when it is placed in front of customers for personal use or within a corporate environment. They represent your customers when you interact with the internet.

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

Conclusion

The article clarified the meaning of a proxy with the two types: the forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Practical applications and a discussion of the beneficial characteristics were employed to identify between forward and reverse proxy. If you're interested in learning more about how to implement proxy servers, you can refer to our guide on how to configure Nginx as a reverse and web server proxy using Apache on the Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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