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A proxy is also known as a proxy server is software that acts as an intermediary between a client and server over the internet. Without the use of a proxy, an individual would send a request to something directly through a server and the server would then deliver the resource directly to the user. Though this approach is simple to understand and implement, the addition of proxies can provide advantages in terms of improved performance security, privacy, and many more. Apart from offering a security layer proxy servers also act as a security safeguard for the internet between servers and clients.

The consensus is that the servers and the hardware that is used along with proxy software are also called proxy servers. This article will focus on proxies which are usually classified as software, and in the web server context. This article will give a synopsis of the two main types that are forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each has its own specific usage that can cause confusion due to the same name convention.

This article will provide you with an idea of what proxies are and what their subtypes are and how they function in common configurations. By reading the article you'll learn to identify the scenarios where it's beneficial to utilize a proxy and choose the best option between forward proxy and reverse proxy, in any situation.

Understanding Forward Proxies

In the same way a forward proxy, also referred to as or an open proxy serves as the representative of a client who wants to send an internet request to an the server that originated it. In this case, every attempt to send requests from the client is instead routed directly via the forward proxy. Forward proxy acting on the place of the client will look into the request. First, it will determine if the client has the right to receive requests from this particular forward proxy. It will then decide if it is authorized to deny a request and forward it to the server that originally received it. The client is not able to access directly the internet. It only has access to what forward proxy allows its access.

The primary reason for people to utilize forward proxy servers is to improve privacy or security on the internet. A forward proxy can be used to access the internet in instead of a client and, in this way, it may utilize an alternative IP address to the IP address originally that the client uses.

Depending on how they've been previously configured, forward proxy servers can give you a variety of options and allow you to:

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  Avoid ad tracking.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  You can identify limitations based on your geographic area.
  
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Forward proxies are also used in systems that provide centralized security and permission based access, such as at work. When all traffic on the internet passes via an open forward proxy layer, administrators can limit access to those clients who are that are filtered through a common firewall. Instead of putting firewalls installed for the client layer which could comprise a variety of machines that have different user and operating environments, the firewall could be put within the forward proxy layer.

It is important to note that settings for forward proxy have to be manually configured for use to function and reverse proxy settings can be disregarded by clients. Depending on the type of IP address of a client is transmitted to the source server via forward proxy privacy and anonymity can be granted or not.

There are several possibilities to consider for forward proxies:

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  Apache is a well-known open-source webserver that includes forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Nginx: Another well-known open-source webserver with forward proxy features.
  
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  Squid is a free forward proxy that makes use of an HTTP protocol. It doesn't provide a complete web server solution. Follow our step-by-step instructions to create Squid proxy to allow private connections on Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante forward proxy, which uses using the SOCKS protocol, instead of HTTP which makes it better suitable for situations like peer-to-topeer traffic. It is also possible to look at the procedure for installing a Dante proxy to connect privately in Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy functions as a proxy for a web server that handles the incoming requests of clients on its behalf. The web server may include one server or several servers. It could also be a server for applications like Gunicorn. In either of these scenarios an application request is made by a user on the internet as a whole. In the majority of cases, the request will be directed directly to the server that hosts the information that the client is asking for. Reverse proxy, however, serves as an intermediary securing Web server from any direct interaction with the internet's public.

From a consumer's point viewpoint, or an individual's view, connecting with a reverse proxy is similar to working with direct connections to an internet server. It's exactly the same however the user is unable to see the difference. The client requests the resource, and is then provided with it without any further configuration needed from the client.

Reverse proxies offer features like:

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  Centrally secured for Web Server Layer.
  
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  Controlling traffic coming inbound according to rules that you can set up.
  
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  The caching function was added to the application.
  
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While centralized security is an advantage for both forward and reverse proxy servers, reverse proxies offer this feature to only the server layer and it is not available to the client layer. Instead of maintaining firewalls on the web server layer that can contain a variety of servers and various configurations, the bulk of the firewall security is targeted at reverse proxy layers. Also, the removal of the responsibility of interacting with a firewall and also interacting with client requests outside of web servers permits them to focus on meeting the requirements of their clients.

If there are multiple servers hosted with a reverse-proxy the reverse proxy is also responsible to direct which requests are routed to the server. There may be several web servers that provide the same content, or offering different types of resource or a mixture of both. These servers can be using the HTTP protocol similar to an ordinary web server however, they may also use different protocols for applications servers, such as FastCGI. It is also possible to set up reverse proxy servers to redirect the clients towards specific servers in accordance with the requested resource or to comply with specific rules pertaining to traffic load.

Reverse proxies also can make use of their location before web servers by delivering the ability to cache. Large static assets can be set up using caching rules to prevent from hitting web servers on every request. There are solutions that permit users to serve static files immediately without needing to connect to the web server once. Furthermore reverse proxy solutions can handle compression of these assets.

The well-known Nginx web server can also function as an extremely popular reverse proxy solution. While Apache has a reverse proxy option but Apache is a reverse proxy service. Apache web server is also able to function with a reverse proxy function as an additional characteristic of Apache however Nginx was designed initially to and is focused on its reverse proxy feature.

Differentiating Forward Proxy and reverse Proxy Use Examples

Since "forward" or "reverse" have connotations of directionality, as well as false comparisons to "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic the labels could be confusing since both types of proxy deal with requests and responses. The best way to distinguish between reverse and forward proxy is to study the requirements of the application you're building.

A reverse proxy could be beneficial when creating a solution to provide web-based applications over the internet. They serve as your web servers for when you use the internet.

Forward proxy can be beneficial when placed in front of customers for personal use or within a corporate environment. They are your client's representative when you connect to the internet.

The use case-based differentiation instead of focusing on common naming conventions can aid in avoidance of confusion.

Conclusion

This article defined the meaning of a proxy with the two kinds: the forward proxy and the reverse proxy. Practical applications and a review of the beneficial features were utilized to differentiate between forward and reverse proxies. If you're interested to learn more about how to set up proxies you can check out our tutorial on how to set up Nginx as a web server and reverse proxy with Apache using Ubuntu 20.04. Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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