What The Pope Can Teach You About Proxy Sites

The term "proxy" refers to a proxy, also called a proxy server, is a piece of software acting as an intermediary a client and server via the internet. Without a proxy, a client will send a request to resources directly to the server and it would serve the resource directly back to the user. This method is simple to understand and implement, however, the addition of proxy servers could bring benefits such as increased speed, privacy, security, and a host of other benefits. As an additional layer of pass-through the proxy functions as a guardian to the internet, separating clients from servers.




In general, the combined system of server hardware and the software for proxy installation is frequently described as a proxy server. This article will focus on proxy servers that are typically described as software and specifically in relation to web servers. The article will provide a detailed discussion of the two major types of proxies, one being a forward proxy and the reverse. reverse proxy. Each kind of proxy has its own purpose and can be confusing due to the similar namesake convention.




This article will provide you with an idea of the what proxies and subtypes are and their benefits for setups that are common. If you read this article, you'll discern situations in which the use of proxies is advantageous, and then choose the best option between forward proxy and reverse proxy based on the situation.



Understanding Forward Proxies



Forward proxy, also known by the name of the open proxy is the agent of a customer who wants to make an internet-based request to an the server that made it. In this scenario every attempt to make requests through the client will instead be sent through the forward proxy. Forward proxy in lieu of the client, will review the request. First, it will verify if the client is authorized to accept requests from this particular forward proxy. It will then reject any request or forward it to the origin server. The client doesn't have a direct access to the internet and can only access what forward proxy permits it to connect to.




The most popular reason for using forward proxy servers is increased privacy or anonymity when surfing the web. Forward proxy connects to the internet as clients and as such, it could use an IP address that is distinct from the original IP address used by the client.




Based on the way it's configured the forward proxy will provide a variety of functions and the capability to:




Beware of ads-trackers.


Circumvent surveillance.


Find restrictions that are based on your area.




Forward proxies also are used in systems that provide centralized security as well as permission-based access, like at work. If all internet traffic passes through a forward proxy and administrators are capable of allowing only certain clients to access the internet using a common firewall. Instead of having firewalls for the client layer that could include multiple machines with different settings, environment, a firewall can be installed in an forward proxy layer.




It is essential to note the forward proxy configurations have to be manually setup to allow them to be used in order to be used in reverse proxies, whereas forward proxy settings are not able to be noticed by the user. Based on your IP address a user is sent to the server that originated it via the forward proxy privacy and security may be granted or kept in the dark.




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




Apache A well-known open source web server that has forward proxy features.


Nginx A renowned open-source server for web hosting with forward proxy functions.


Squid is a free forward proxy that utilizes the HTTP protocol. It's not the complete Web Server System. It is possible to refer to our article on the most efficient method of configuring Squid proxy to allow secure connections within Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante Forward proxy that makes use of the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP and HTTP, which makes it better suited to scenarios like peer-to -peer traffic. You can also learn how to set up Dante proxy to allow private connections in Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy serves as an intermediary for web servers and takes care of requests from clients on behalf of. Web servers can function as a single server or a number of servers. It could also serve as an application server, such as Gunicorn. In any case an application request comes from a user via the internet at large. The request will typically go directly to the web server which hosts what the client is looking for. The reverse proxy acts as an intermediary in order to block your website server from communication to the open internet.




From a consumer's point of the consumer's perspective, working with reverse proxy doesn't differ from communicating with your webserver directly. It's functionally similar, however the client isn't able to tell the difference. Client makes a request for an item, and gets it without requiring any additional configuration from the user.




Reverse proxy providers provide features like:




The web server is secured centrally.


The sending of traffic in accordance with the rules you have set.


A new feature for caching has been added.




While central security can be a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy, reverse proxy applications apply this function only for only the server layer and not the client layer. instead of the maintenance of security firewalls in Web server layers, which could include multiple servers with different configurations, the majority in firewall protection is aimed towards the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, removing the burden of interfacing with a firewall and interacting with requests from clients off of web servers lets them concentrate on serving the resources.




If there are more than one servers that have a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy will be also accountable for deciding which requests are routed to the server. There could be multiple web servers operating on the same server, all serving various kinds of resources, or a combination of the two. These servers may use the HTTP protocol like a traditional web server. They can also include protocols for application servers like FastCGI. You can also set up a reverse proxy to route the clients towards specific servers depending on the service they require or to adhere to certain traffic load rules.




Reverse proxies also can make use of their location on top of web servers with the help of caching. The large static files can be set up with caching rules in order to avoid getting into web servers for every request, with some solutions even allowing users to upload static files without having to connect with the server. Furthermore, the reverse proxy is able to handle compression of these assets.




The well-known Nginx webserver is an extremely popular reverse proxy service. While the Apache web server comes equipped with reverse proxy option as an additional feature which is accessible for Apache while Nginx was originally designed to and is specifically focused on reverse proxy functions.



Differentiating Forward Proxy from reverse Proxy Use Situations



Since "forward" in addition to "reverse" are associated with the notion of directionality and also inaccurate comparisons to "incoming" in addition to "outgoing" traffic, these labels can be confusing because both types of proxies can be used to handle requests as well as responses. An alternative method to differentiate between reverse and forward proxy servers is to analyze the specifications of the software you're developing.




Reverse proxy is an effective tool when you are creating a solution for serving websites on the internet. They represent your web servers when you interact with the Internet.




Forward proxy can be useful to use when you are working with clients in front for personal usage, or even in a work environment. They can be used to represent the traffic of your clients whenever you connect to the internet.




A distinction based on use cases instead of using the standard naming conventions can assist you in avoidance of confusion.



Conclusion



The article clarified what a proxy was along with two types being the reverse proxy and forward proxy. Examples of how to use them as well as a discussion of most effective features were utilized to differentiate forward proxies and reverse proxies. If you'd like to explore the ways to use proxies, we recommend you read our tutorial on how to configure Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy using Apache using the Ubuntu 20.04 server.



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