Proxy Sites Is Your Worst Enemy. 8 Ways To Defeat It

An proxy is also known as a proxy server. It is software that functions to act as an intermediary for a client and server via the internet. Without the proxy, a client would be able to send a request to any resource directly to the server and servers would provide direct to users who requested the resource. Although this method is easy to comprehend and use the addition of proxy servers can offer advantages like increased performance, privacy and security, and so on. In addition to providing a layer of security proxy servers act as a guardian for the internet between clients and servers.

The general consensus is that the hardware for servers, paired with proxy software is often known as proxy servers. However, this article will concentrate on proxies that are traditionally referred to as software, specifically in relation with web server. This article will provide a brief overview of the two main kinds of proxies which are forward proxy and a reverse proxy. Each type has a different use, and can be confusing due to the same namestamp.

This article will give you an understanding of what proxies and their subtypes are, as well as their importance for the most common setups. After reading this article you'll know the scenarios where you can benefit by a proxy and decide on the appropriate option between reverse proxy and forward proxy for any scenario.

Understanding Forward Proxies

Forward proxy also referred to as open proxy, sometimes referred to as open proxy serves as an agent for a user who wants to send a request via the internet to a source server. In this scenario, every request sent by the client will be directed via the forward proxy. A forward proxy in the place of the client will look into the request. It will first determine whether the client is legally authorized to accept requests from this particular forward proxy. It will then either refuse any request, or redirect it to the source server. The client will not be able to have direct access to the internet. it can only be able to access the information that the forward proxy allows the access.

The most common uses for forward proxies is increased security or privacy on the internet. Forward proxy connects to the internet instead of a specific client and in the process, it may use a different IP address, in contrast to the original IP address of the client.

Depending on how it's set up, and how it's set up, forward proxy may offer many features and allow you to:

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  Do not click on ads that track you.
  
  
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  Circumvent surveillance.
  
  
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  Find restrictions based on the geolocation.
  
  

Forward proxies are also employed in systems to offer central security and permit-based access, such as in workplaces. In the event that all internet traffic is routed through an open forward proxy layer, an administrator is able to allow only specific clients access to the internet, which is controlled by a standard firewall. Instead of putting firewalls on the client layer which may comprise a variety of machines with various configurations and users, a firewall could be placed at the proxy layer that is in front.

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

There are many possibilities to consider for forward proxy:

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  Apache is an well-known open-source web server that provides forward proxy capability.
  
  
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  Nginx is another well-known open-source webserver that includes forward proxy capability.
  
  
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  Squid: A free and open forward proxy open source that uses the HTTP protocol. It does not contain the whole web server. We recommend you read our guide on how to set up Squid proxy to allow private connections on Ubuntu 20.04.
  
  
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  Dante is a forward proxy that uses the SOCKS protocol instead of HTTP this makes it appropriate for situations such as peer-to-peer communication. You can also check out how to setup an Dante proxy to allow secure connections within Ubuntu 20.04
  
  

Understanding Reverse Proxies

Reverse proxy is the web server, which takes care of the requests of customers on its behalf. It can be used as a one server, or multiple servers. In addition, it could include an application servers, such as Gunicorn. In all of these scenarios, a request would come via the web in general. In the majority of cases, the request is sent directly to the web server, along with the resources the client in need of. A reverse proxy serves as an intermediary, segregating your web server from communication with the internet's users.

From a consumer's point of viewpoint from the perspective of a client reverse proxy is not any different than connecting directly to an internet server. It's functionally identical, however the client can't discern the difference. The client requests the resource, and it then gets it, with no additional configuration needed on the part of the client.

Reverse proxies offer features such as:

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  A centralized layer of security that protects the server.
  
  
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  Controlling traffic inbound based on rules that you can set up.
  
  
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  A new feature for caching has been added.
  
  

Although central security is an advantage of both reverse and forward proxy services, reverse proxies provide this feature only to only the server layer and not the client layer. In lieu of maintaining firewalls at the server layer that could contain multiple servers and various configurations, the bulk of firewall security could be focused at the reverse proxy layer. Additionally, removing the burden of interacting with firewalls as well as interacting with requests from clients that are not on web servers lets them focus on only the requirements of their customers.

In the case of multiple servers hosted by reverse proxy the reverse proxy handles the routing of requests to which servers. There could be multiple web servers serving the same resource, providing different kinds of resources or a mix of the two. They may utilize an HTTP protocol for functioning as a standard web server, but they can additionally include protocols for application servers like FastCGI. You can set up a reverse proxy to route clients to specific servers based on the request for service, or adhere to specific rules regarding traffic load.

Reverse proxies may also utilize their position prior to web servers by offering the ability to cache. Large static assets can be managed by caching rules to avoid from reaching web servers with every time you request. There are options that provide an option to serve static content without needing to interact with the webserver at all. Furthermore, reverse proxy can help compress these assets.

The renowned Nginx webserver is known as a well-known reverse proxy choice. It is true that the Apache web server does have reverse proxy capabilities, it is an added feature for Apache however Nginx was designed originally to and is focused on the reverse proxy feature.

Differentiating Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy Examples

Since "forward" as well as "reverse" are both associated with a sense of directionality and inaccurate comparisons to "incoming" and "outgoing" traffic and can confuse because both types of proxies handle requests and response. A better approach to distinguish between forward and reverse proxy servers is to analyze the requirements of the app you're creating.

Reverse proxy is an important feature in the development of a solution to serve websites on the internet. They function as your servers during any interaction through the Internet.

Forward proxy can be helpful to display customers' information for personal use or in a work environment. They represent the client's information when you connect to the internet.

A distinction based upon use case rather than focusing only on similar naming conventions can help avoid confusion.

Conclusion

The article clarified meaning of a proxy with two kinds of proxy being the forward and the reverse proxy. Practical applications and an examination of beneficial attributes were used to distinguish forward proxies from reverse proxy. If you're interested exploring the role of proxy servers, you can read our guide on how to configure Nginx as an internet server and reverse proxy on Apache on Ubuntu 20.04 Server. Ubuntu 20.04 Server.

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