Unbiased Report Exposes The Unanswered Questions on Proxy Sites

proxy, also known as a proxy is often referred to as a proxy server software that sits acting as an intermediary between a server and a client on the internet. Without proxy servers, users would make a request any source directly through the server, and the server would provide direct access to that resource. Although this method is easy to understand and use, however, the addition of proxy servers can offer advantages in terms of better speed, privacy and security, and much more. In addition to providing a layer of security, a proxy acts as a gatekeeper for the internet between clients and servers.

It is generally accepted that the bundle of server hardware with the software for proxy installation is often referred as a proxy server. For this post, we'll examine proxies commonly categorized as software and within the context of web servers. We will provide a description of the two principal kinds of proxies. These are a forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each type of proxy has its own unique usage scenario that is often not understood due to the common names.

This article will give you an understanding of what proxies and their subtypes are and the ways they are useful in a variety of configurations. In this article, you'll learn to discern the scenarios where it is beneficial to use a proxy and decide on the appropriate option between reverse and forward proxy depending on the scenario.

Understanding Forward Proxies

An forward proxy sometimes known by the name of the open proxy is a proxy for a user who is trying to connect via the internet to an source server. In this case, every attempt to send requests made by the client will instead be handled by the forward proxy. This forward proxy acting in the client's stead, will examine the request. It will first determine whether the client has been authorized to receive requests from this particular forward proxy. It will then either refuse requests or redirect it to the server that originated it. It's not able to direct connection to the internet. It can only access what the forward proxy permits it access to.

A common use for forward proxy is to provide more privacy or security while using the internet. A forward proxy can connect to the internet as a client and in this manner, it connects an alternative IP address to the IP address of your client.

Depending on how it's been configured based on the way it was configured, a forward proxy could provide a variety of functions that allow you to:

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  Beware of tracking ads.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  You can determine restrictions based upon your geolocation.
  
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Forward proxies can also be used in systems that provide central security and access via permissions, like in the workplace. The entire internet can go by an open forward proxy, administrators can restrict access for specific people to connect on the internet. This is then filtered by the standard firewall. Instead of maintaining firewalls on clients, which could be utilized by a variety of computer systems with different types of environments and users. A firewall may be placed at this forward proxy layer.

Be aware that forward proxy servers have to be manually setup in order to allow them to be used however reverse proxies will not be detected by the user. Based on the fact that your IP address the client is transmitted to the original server through the forward proxy, privacy and anonymity can be granted or kept in the dark.

There are numerous alternatives to think about when it comes to forward proxies.

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  Apache The Apache is a popular open-source web server, which offers forward proxy functions.
  
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  Nginx is another well-known open-source web server with forward proxy functionality.
  
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  Squid: A free and free forward proxy which utilizes an HTTP protocol. It isn't part of the entire web server. We have a step-by-step guide to set up Squid proxy for secure connections on Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante Forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol rather than HTTP which makes it ideal for scenarios such as peer-to-peer connections. It is also possible to look into the steps to install the Dante proxy that will allow private connections on Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy is an intermediary for web servers, which handles the incoming requests of clients in its place. The server could function as a one server, or a number of servers. It could also comprise an application server, like Gunicorn. In any event, it's possible to get the request of a customer via the internet in general. Most of the time the request will be directed directly to the website server hosting the data the customer is seeking. Instead, a reverse proxy works as an intermediary in order to block your server from communications with the internet's users.

From a consumer's point of perspective, which is also an individual's view, interacting via reverse proxy isn't any distinct from the interaction with the server in its own. It's functionally identical to the web server, and the user cannot tell the distinction. The client can request the resource, and is then given it, without any additional configuration needed by the user.

Reverse proxies grant features like:

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  Security centralized on webservers.
  
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  Directing incoming traffic based on rules you can design.
  
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  The caching functionality was added to the application.
  
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While centralized security is a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy services, reverse-proxies perform this function to only the layer of web servers but not the layer of clients. Instead of implementing firewalls at the web servers which might comprise multiple servers with different configurations, most of firewall security is located at that layer called reverse proxy. Furthermore, removing the obligation of interfacing with firewalls and interacting with requests from clients who do not have web servers allows them to concentrate on providing the needs of their clients.

If there are multiple servers being hosted through a reverse proxy the reverse proxy is responsible for directing the requests to which server. Multiple web servers could be providing the exact same service, but each providing different types of resources, or some combination of the two. They can use the HTTP protocol similar to a traditional web server but can be equipped with protocols for application servers like FastCGI. You can create reverse proxy servers to redirect clients to an individual server depending on the requested resource, or to observe certain rules for traffic load.

Reverse proxy solutions benefit from placing them on the top of web servers by using the caching feature. Large static assets can be set up with caching rules in order to prevent hitting web servers with each request. Certain solutions allow users to serve static content directly, without needing to connect to the web server in any way. In addition, the reverse proxy is able to handle compression of these files.

The well-known Nginx web server is also used as a popular reverse proxy solution. Although it is real that Apache web server does have reverse proxy features but it's an alternative option. Apache as opposed to Nginx was designed initially to focus on reverse proxy capabilities.

Distinguishing Forward Proxy from Reverse Proxy Use Situations

Since "forward" as well as "reverse" are associated with a sense of directionality and misleading comparisons to "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic These labels are confusing because both types of proxies manage requests and responses. An alternative approach to distinguish between forward and reverse proxy services is to consider the requirements of the application you're creating.

Reverse proxy is a crucial element when designing a solution to deliver web applications to the internet. They act as your web server during any interaction with the internet.

Forward proxy software is advantageous when placed in front of clients for personal use, or in a work setting. They represent the traffic of your client as you interact on the internet.

A case-based approach to distinction instead of focusing only on naming conventions that are commonplace will ensure that you don't be confused.

Conclusion

This article defined what is a "proxy" is and the two most common types of them being the reverse and forward proxy. Practical applications as well as a summary of the beneficial features was used to distinguish forward proxies and reverse proxy. If you're looking for ways to use proxies, check out our guide on how to set up Nginx as a web server and reverse proxy to Apache on Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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