Prioritizing Your Proxy Sites To Get The Most Out Of Your Business

A proxy or proxy server is a software that acts as an intermediary between a client and server on the internet. Without the use of a proxy, users will send a request to the resource directly to a server, and the server would serve the requested resource directly to the user. While this is a simple method to comprehend and utilize, adding proxies offers advantages, such as increased performance, privacy and security, among others. As an additional layer being able to pass through, proxies function as a security layer to the internet between servers and clients.

The combined package of server hardware with the software for proxy installation is often referred to as proxy servers. But, this article will concentrate on proxy servers that are usually described in terms of software as and those utilized together with web servers. We will give a synopsis of the two major types of proxies, those that are a forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each has its own specific usage that can cause confusion due to the same terminology.

This article will give you an idea of the types of proxies and subtypes they are, as well as their value in a variety of configurations. Through the article you will understand how to determine the situations in which a proxy is useful, and choose the best choice to use a forward or reverse proxy, based on the situation.

Understanding Forward Proxies

Forward proxy, also known in the context of the open proxy serves as a representative for a user who is trying to make an online request to a server. In this scenario, the entire attempt to send requests from the client will rather be directed by the forward-proxy. The forward proxy, in its place as the customer, will examine the request. First, it will determine whether the client has been authorized to transmit requests via this particular forward proxy. It then will reject a request and forward it to the original server. The client has no direct connection for the web. It can access only what the forward proxy permits it access to.

The most frequent use of forward proxies is to provide greater security or privacy online. The forward proxy can connect to the internet in place of a client, and during this process, it uses an alternate IP address to the initial IP address of the client.

Based on how it has been set up in accordance with the method of configuration forward proxy can offer a variety of features dependent on the way it's configured. This allows you to:

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  Avoid ad tracking.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  Find out the restrictions that apply to your location.
  
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Forward proxies are also utilized in systems of centralized security and permission dependent access, such as, in workplaces. If all internet traffic flows through a common forward proxy layer, a administrator can limit access to only a small user group to the internet filtered by a common firewall. Instead of keeping firewalls in place for the client layer which may comprise several computers with diverse environments and users, it is possible to install a firewall located at the forward proxy layer.

It is crucial to keep in mind that forward proxy servers need to be manually configured for be utilized, whereas reverse proxy servers may be hidden from clients. Based on the kind of IP address the client, it will be passed to the server which created it by forward proxy's privacy and security is granted or kept hidden.

There are a variety of alternatives to consider for forward proxies

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  Apache is a well-known open-source web server that provides forward proxy capability.
  
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  Nginx is another well-known open-source web server, which has forward proxy capabilities.
  
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  Squid: An open-source forward proxy which uses the HTTP protocol. It doesn't provide a complete website server software. We have instructions on how to set-up Squid proxy to allow private connections on Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante Forward Proxy that utilizes the SOCKS protocol rather than HTTP and is better suited to use in instances such as peer-to-peer traffic. It is also possible to understand how to configure a Dante proxy to allow private connections on Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

A reverse proxy acts as an agent for a web server that handles any requests made by clients on behalf of. The web server may be a single server or multiple servers. Additionally, it could serve as an app server such as Gunicorn. In any case, the request is made by users on the internet generally. In the majority of cases, the request will be sent directly to the server that has all the resources the client requires. However reverse proxy acts as an intermediary, and separates Web server from direct contact with the internet.

From a consumer's point view, interacting with reverse proxy is not different from using an internet server direct. It's the same thing, and the client cannot see the difference. The client makes a request for this resource and it is then granted without additional configurations that need to be done by the customer.

Reverse proxies offer features like:

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  A centralized layer of security that protects the server.
  
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  Controlling traffic inbound based on rules you can set up.
  
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  A new feature to cache has been added.
  
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While centralized security is an advantage of both reverse and forward proxies, reverse proxies provide this feature only to the server layer but not to the client layer. instead of maintaining firewalls at Web server layers that can include multiple servers and various configurations, most firewall security is targeted at the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, removing the burden of interacting with a firewall and interacting with requests from clients that are not web servers permits the firewall to focus on addressing the needs of their clients.

If there are multiple servers operating within a reverse proxy, it controls which requests are directed to which servers. Many web servers may be working on the same server and serving different kinds of resources or a mix of both. These servers utilize the HTTP protocol like a traditional web server. However, they could also be equipped with application server protocols like FastCGI. It is possible to configure a reverse proxy to direct the clients towards specific servers depending on the kind of resource they are seeking, or to comply with certain rules for traffic load.

Reverse proxies also have the ability to gain advantage from their position ahead of web servers by offering caching capabilities. Large static assets are able to be configured using caching rules, so that you do not need to call web servers for every request. Some solutions offering an option to serve static assets directly without having to contact the web server even once. Additionally reverse proxy is able to manage compression of these assets.

The popular Nginx web server can also function as a powerful reverse proxy service. It is real it is true that Apache website server also equipped with a reverse proxy, it is an additional option for Apache but Nginx was originally built for and focuses on the reverse proxy feature.

Differentiating Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Use Examples

Since "forward" as well as "reverse" come with connotations of directionality, they can lead to inaccurate comparisons with "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic. It can be confusing as both types of proxies handle requests and response. An alternative approach to distinguish between forward and reverse proxy is to think about the requirements of the application that you're developing.

Reverse proxy can be useful in the case of creating a solution for offering web-based solutions on the internet. They act as your servers in any interactions through the Internet.

Forward proxy software is useful when they are put in front of a user for personal use or in a professional context. They are your client's representative whenever you use the internet.

A case-based distinction instead of focusing solely on common naming conventions can assist in avoiding confusion.

Conclusion

This article clarified what a proxy is along with two kinds: forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical applications and an examination of beneficial features were used to differentiate between reverse and forward proxies. If you're interested to learn more about the ways to implement proxies then you should follow our guide on how to configure Nginx as a reverse proxy with Apache using the Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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