The War Against Proxy Sites

An proxy is also referred to as a proxy server, is software that functions to act as an intermediary for a client and server over the internet. Without the proxy, a customer would be able to send a request to any resource directly to the server and servers would serve any requested resources directly to the client. Although this method is easy to grasp and use however the addition of proxy servers could provide advantages like increased performance, privacy and security, among others. As an additional layer of protection proxy servers act as a gatekeeper for the internet between servers and clients.




The consensus is that the hardware for servers, paired with proxy software is often known as proxy servers. But, this article will concentrate on proxy servers that are typically categorized as software, and specifically with respect to web servers. This article will provide a brief overview of the two primary types of proxies which are forward proxy and reverse proxy. reverse proxy. Each has its own use, which could be confusing due to the same name convention.




This article will give you an understanding of what proxies and their subtypes, and what they can do for the most common setups. After reading this article you'll be able understand the situations when you may benefit from a proxy and decide on the appropriate option between reverse proxy and forward proxy for any situation.



Understanding Forward Proxies



Forward proxy sometimes called the open proxy is a proxy for users who wish to transmit a request through the internet to a source server. In this case every attempt to send requests made by the client will rather be sent through the forward proxy. A forward proxy acting in place of the client will review the request. It first will determine if the client is authorized to accept requests through this specific forward proxy. It will then either deny the request or forward it to the server that originated it. The client is not able to have an internet connection directly; it is only capable of accessing the information that the forward proxy allows the access.




One of the most common reasons for forward proxy is greater security or privacy on the internet. A forward proxy is able to access the internet instead of a specific client and in the process, it may use a different IP address, in contrast to the IP address used by the user.




Depending on how it's been set up, and how it's configured forward proxy could provide a range of options and let you:




Do not click on ads that track you.


Circumvent surveillance.


Establish restrictions based upon your location.




Forward proxies can also be used in systems that provide central security and permission based access, such as in a workplace. In the event that all internet traffic passes through an open forward proxy layer, administrators are able to restrict access to only certain clients to the internet, which is controlled by a standard firewall. Instead of putting firewalls in place for the client layer which may comprise a variety of machines with various settings and types of users, the firewall may be placed at on the front proxy layer.




Remember that forward proxies must be set up manually for use while reverse proxies could be disregarded from the clients. According to the type of IP address of the client's connection to the server that originated it by the forward proxy security and privacy can be granted or made more transparent.




There are many options to take into consideration when deciding on forward proxy options:




Apache is an well-known open-source web server that provides forward proxy capability.


Nginx is another well-known open-source webserver which has forward proxy functionality.


Squid is an open source forward proxy that utilizes an HTTP protocol. This option doesn't include the entire web server. You can refer to our guide on the best method to set up Squid proxy to enable private connections in Ubuntu 20.04.


Dante is a forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP this allows it to be more suitable for scenarios such as peer-to-peer traffic. You can also learn how to setup the Dante proxy for secure connections within Ubuntu 20.04



Understanding Reverse Proxies



Reverse proxy is a web server, which takes care of requests from customers on behalf of the server. This server can serve as a single server or multiple servers. In addition, it could include an application servers, such as Gunicorn. In any of these situations it is possible to send a request through the internet at large. In the majority of cases the request will be sent directly to the web server, along with the resources the client in need of. A reverse proxy serves as an intermediary, separating your server from communications with the internet's users.




From the point of viewpoint from the perspective of a client reverse proxy isn't different from connecting directly to an internet server. It's functionally identical, however the client can't discern the difference. The client asks for the resource, and receives it, with no additional configuration required on the part of the client.




Reverse proxy providers offer options like:




A central layer of security to protect the server.


Directing incoming traffic using rules that you can establish.


A new feature for caching is now available.




While central security is a benefit of both forward and reverse proxy solutions, reverse proxies provide this feature to the server layer and it is not available to the client layer. Instead of focusing on the maintenance of firewalls at the server level which could include multiple servers and various configurations, the majority of firewall security is concentrated on the reverse proxy layer. Furthermore, taking the burden of interacting with firewalls and interacting with requests from clients that are not on web servers permits them to concentrate solely on delivering the needs of their customers.




If there are multiple servers hosted by a reverse proxy, the reverse proxy also manages the routing of requests to the servers. Multiple web servers could be operating on the same server, or serving different types of resources or a combination of the two. They may utilize an HTTP protocol to function as a standard web server, but they can additionally include application server protocols such as FastCGI. It is possible to set up reverse proxy that routes clients to particular servers according to the requested resource, or to observe certain rules for traffic volume.




Reverse proxies can also utilize their positioning before web servers, by providing the ability to cache. Large static assets can be set with caching rules that prevent reaching web servers each time a request is made. There are solutions that offer the possibility of serving static content directly without having to interact with the webserver at all. Furthermore, reverse proxy can help compress these assets.




The well-known Nginx web server has become a very popular reverse proxy choice. Although Apache web server does have reverse proxy capabilities, Apache web server is able to use the ability to reverse proxy as an additional feature that is available to Apache however Nginx was originally designed to focus on the reverse proxy function.



Differentiating Forward Proxy and reverse Proxy Use Examples



Because "forward" as well as "reverse" are both associated with an impression of directionality and misleading comparisons with "incoming" or "outgoing" traffic. They could be confusing because both kinds of proxy servers process requests and respond. Instead, a better way to distinguish between forward and reverse proxy servers would be to study the requirements of the app you're creating.




Reverse proxy is a crucial aspect in the design of a system to support websites on the internet. They serve as servers during any interaction through the Internet.




Forward proxy is useful for displaying customers to your personal use or for use in a working environment. They are a way to display the information of your client whenever you interact on the internet.




A distinction based on usage case rather than focusing only on naming conventions that are similar can help avoid confusion.



Conclusion



The article clarified meaning of a proxy, with two types of them being the reverse and forward proxy. Practical applications and an examination of beneficial attributes were used to determine forward proxies as well as reverse proxies. If you're interested in exploring the use in proxy server, you can learn how to configure Nginx as web service and reverse proxy in Apache in Ubuntu 20.04 Server. Ubuntu 20.04 Server.



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