Old fashioned Proxy Sites

The term "proxy" refers to a proxy or proxy server is software acting as an intermediary client and server via the internet. Without a proxy, a client would send a request for resources directly to the server and it would serve the resource directly back for the client. While this is a simple method to grasp and implement however, the addition of proxy servers can offer benefits like increased performance as well as privacy, security and many more. In addition to providing passing through, the proxy acts as a guardian to the internet between clients and servers.

In general, the bundled system of server hardware coupled with the software for proxy installation is frequently called a proxy server. This article will focus on the proxies that are usually classified as software, and in the context of web servers. There will be a discussion of the two main types of proxies, the other being one that is a forward proxy and the reverse. reverse proxy. Each kind of proxy has its own purpose and is often confused due to the resemblance of namesake convention.

This article will give you an understanding of different subtypes and proxies and their value for common setups. If you've read the article carefully, you'll be able understand the situations when the use of proxy servers is beneficial, and you can then select the most appropriate option between forward proxy and reverse proxy depending on the circumstance.

Understanding Forward Proxies

Forward proxy also known by the name of an open proxy acts as the representative of a user who would like to make an internet-based request to an the server that made it. In this situation every attempt to make requests through the client's side will be sent to forward proxy. Forward proxy in lieu of the client, will review the request. It will first verify if the client is authorized to accept requests from this specific forward proxy. Then, it will deny any request, or send it to the server that originated it. The client is not able to have direct access to the internet; it can only reach what forward proxy permits it to connect to.

The primary reason for people to use forward proxies is the increased privacy or anonymity on the internet. Forward proxy connects to the internet as clients, and in this way it can make use of an IP address different from the original IP address used by the client.

Depending on the way it's set up, the forward proxy can grant a number of features and the capability to:

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  Beware of Ad-trackers.
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
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  Find restrictions based on your area.
  
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Forward proxies also are used in systems that provide central security and access based on permissions, such as at work. When all internet traffic flows through a common forward proxy Administrators are in a position to grant only specific clients to access the internet through a single firewall. Instead of having firewalls installed for the client layer that can involve many machines with varying settings and users and environments the firewall is installed in an forward proxy layer.

It is important to remember the forward proxy configurations have to be manually setup to allow them to be used in order to be used and reverse proxy servers are unable to be noticed by the user. Depending on whether your IP address the user is passed on to the server from which it originated through the forward proxy, the privacy and security may be granted or kept in the dark.

There are a variety of options to think about when it comes to forward proxy alternatives:

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  Apache A well-known open source web server with forward proxy functions.
  
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  Nginx Another well-known open-source web hosting server with forward proxy functions.
  
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  Squid: A no-cost forward proxy that runs on the HTTP protocol. It's not the full webserver system. You can refer to our guide on the best method to set up Squid proxy to handle connection to private networks in Ubuntu 20.04.
  
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  Dante Forward proxy that makes use of the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP and HTTP, making it more suited to cases such as peer-to-peer communication. You can also check out how to configure Dante proxy to allow secure connections within Ubuntu 20.04
  
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Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy serves as an intermediary between a web server, and takes care of requests from clients on behalf of. Web servers can function as a one server or as a series of servers. Additionally, it can serve as an application server such as Gunicorn. In all cases, an application request comes through the internet at large. Most of the time, the request will directly go to the web server which hosts what the client is looking for. Reverse proxy, however, acts as a middleman to protect your web server from contact with the internet's open.

From the perspective of a user's the consumer's perspective, working with reverse proxy isn't any different than interacting with Web server in direct contact. It is functionally the same but the client isn't able to tell the difference. Client makes a request for an item, and is given it, with no additional configuration needed from the user.

Reverse proxy providers provide features like:

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  The server on the internet is protected centrally.
  
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  Directing traffic in accordance with the rules you have set.
  
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  The caching functionality was added to the application.
  
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While centralized security can be a benefit of both reverse and forward proxy, reverse proxy applications apply this function only for the web server layer but not to the client layer. instead of maintaining firewalls on Web server layers, which could contain multiple servers with various configurations, the majority of firewall security is directed at the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, removing the burden of interacting with firewalls and interfacing with requests from clients off of web servers lets them concentrate on serving the resources.

If there are multiple servers that have a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy will be also accountable for deciding which requests are directed to the server. There may be several web servers that are running within the server all serving different kinds of resources or a combination of both. These servers may use the HTTP protocol, which is similar to a traditional web server. They can also include applications server protocols such as FastCGI. It is also possible to configure reverse proxy settings to redirect the clients towards specific servers depending on the service they require or to adhere to certain guidelines regarding traffic load.

Reverse proxies can also benefit from their position on top of web servers by making use of caching. Massive static resources can be set up using caching rules to prevent the web server from being hit with each request, with some options even allowing the provision of static files without having to connect directly to the website server. Furthermore, the reverse proxy can manage compression of these files.

The popular Nginx web server is a wildly popular reverse proxy service. While it is a reverse proxy solution, the Apache web server comes with a reverse proxy option as an additional feature that is available for Apache while Nginx was originally designed to and is specifically designed for the reverse proxy feature.

Differentiating Forward Proxy from reverse Proxy Use Cases

Because "forward" along with "reverse" are associated with a sense of directionality as well as misleading comparisons with "incoming" as well as "outgoing" traffic These terms can be confusing since both types of proxy servers can manage requests and responses. A different method of distinguishing between forward and reverse proxy servers would be to study the needs of the application you are developing.

Reverse proxy is a useful tool when you are designing a solution to host websites on the internet. They act as your servers when you interact with the Internet.

Forward proxy can be useful to have facing clients to use for personal purposes, or even in a professional setting. They represent your client traffic whenever you connect to the internet.

A distinction that is based on the use rather than using the standard name conventions can aid you in avoidance of confusion.

Conclusion

The article described what a proxy is and the two kinds of proxy being the forward proxy and reverse proxy. Practical examples of its use and a discussion of the most useful features were used to distinguish forward proxies and reverse proxies. If you'd like to explore the ways to use proxies, we suggest you go through our guide on how to configure Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy using Apache running an Ubuntu 20.04 server.

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