What is a Proxy Server
In this tutorial, we are going to discuss about What is a Proxy Server. A proxy server acts as an intermediary between clients and servers, facilitating communication between them.
When a client makes a request for a resource, such as a web page, file, or service, the request is first sent to the proxy server, which then forwards it to the appropriate server. Similarly, when the server responds to the request, the response is sent back to the proxy server, which then relays it to the client.
Here’s how a proxy server typically works:
- Client Request: A client, such as a web browser, initiates a request for a resource by sending a request to the proxy server. The request includes details such as the desired resource (e.g., a URL) and any relevant parameters.
- Proxy Server Processing: The proxy server receives the client’s request and processes it according to its configuration and policies. This may involve various actions such as caching, filtering, or modifying the request before forwarding it to the destination server.
- Forwarding Request: After processing the request, the proxy server forwards it to the appropriate server that hosts the requested resource. This server could be located on the local network or external to it, depending on the proxy server’s configuration.
- Server Response: The destination server processes the request and generates a response, which is sent back to the proxy server.
- Relaying Response: The proxy server receives the response from the destination server and relays it back to the client that initiated the request.
A forward proxy, also known as a “proxy server,” or simply “proxy,” is a server that sits in front of one or more client machines and acts as an intermediary between the clients and the internet. When a client machine makes a request to a resource (like a web page or file) on the internet, the request is first sent to the forward proxy. The forward proxy then forwards the request to the internet on behalf of the client machine and returns the response to the client machine.
![What is a Proxy Server](https://waytoeasylearn.com/storage/2024/04/What-is-a-Proxy-Server-1024x345.png)
Typically, forward proxies are used to cache data, filter requests, log requests, or transform requests (by adding/removing headers, encrypting/decrypting, or compressing a resource).
In addition to coordinating requests from multiple servers, proxies can also optimize request traffic from a system-wide perspective. Proxies can combine the same data access requests into one request and then return the result to the user; this technique is called collapsed forwarding. Consider a request for the same data across several nodes, but the data is not in cache. By routing these requests through the proxy, they can be consolidated into one so that we will only read data from the disk once.
Reverse Proxy
A reverse proxy is a server that sits in front of one or more web servers and acts as an intermediary between the web servers and the Internet. When a client makes a request to a resource on the internet, the request is first sent to the reverse proxy. The reverse proxy then forwards the request to one of the web servers, which returns the response to the reverse proxy. The reverse proxy then returns the response to the client.
Contrary to the forward proxy, which hides the client’s identity, a reverse proxy hides the server’s identity.
![Reverse Proxy](https://waytoeasylearn.com/storage/2024/04/Reverse-Proxy-1024x507.png)
In the above diagram, the reverse proxy hides the final server that served the request from the client. The client makes a request for some content from facebook.com; this request is served by facebook’s reverse proxy server, which gets the response from one of the backend servers and returns it to the client.
A reverse proxy, just like a forward proxy, can be used for caching, load balancing, or routing requests to the appropriate servers.
![Forward Proxy vs. Reverse Proxy](https://waytoeasylearn.com/storage/2024/04/Forward-Proxy-vs.-Reverse-Proxy-948x1024.png)
A proxy is a piece of software or hardware that sits between a client and a server to facilitate traffic. A forward proxy hides the identity of the client, whereas a reverse proxy conceals the identity of the server. So, when you want to protect your clients on your internal network, you should put them behind a forward proxy; on the other hand, when you want to protect your servers, you should put them behind a reverse proxy.
Proxy servers can serve several purposes, including:
- Anonymity: Proxy servers can hide the IP address of clients, providing anonymity by masking the client’s identity when accessing resources on the internet.
- Content Filtering: Proxy servers can filter or block certain types of content based on predefined rules or policies. This is commonly used in organizations to enforce acceptable use policies or block access to malicious websites.
- Caching: Proxy servers can cache frequently accessed resources locally, reducing the load on origin servers and improving performance by serving cached content to clients.
- Security: Proxy servers can act as a security gateway, inspecting incoming and outgoing traffic for malicious content, viruses, or unauthorized access attempts.
- Access Control: Proxy servers can enforce access control policies to restrict access to resources based on factors such as user authentication, IP address, or time of day.
- Load Balancing: Proxy servers can distribute incoming requests across multiple backend servers, balancing the load and ensuring optimal resource utilization.
Overall, proxy servers play a crucial role in optimizing performance, enhancing security, and controlling access to resources in various network environments.
That’s all about What is a Proxy Server and difference between forward and reverse proxy. If you have any queries or feedback, please write us email at contact@waytoeasylearn.com. Enjoy learning, Enjoy system design..!!