Proxy servers | Forward proxy vs reverse proxy
A proxy server acts as an intermediary between a client and a server. It receives the requests from the client and forwards them to the intended server.
Forward proxy — A forward proxy is a type of proxy server that acts as an intermediary between a client and a server. It receives requests from clients and forwards them to the intended server, and then sends the server’s response back to the client. It can be used to control access to specific websites, hide the client’s IP address, or cache frequently-requested content for faster access.
Reverse proxy- A reverse proxy is a type of proxy server that acts as an intermediary between a client and one or more servers. It receives requests from clients and then forwards them to one of the servers it is configured to proxy for. The server’s response is then sent back to the client through the reverse proxy. This can be used to balance load across multiple servers, provide an additional layer of security, or hide the identity of the backend servers.
If we look at the definition of Forward proxy and Reverse proxy, both look quite similar hence is it important to understand the purpose of using these proxies.
Let’s first understand the similarity between Forward and Reverse proxies
- Both forward proxy and reverse proxy can hide the client’s IP address, making it more difficult for websites or servers to track the client’s location or identity.
- Both forward proxy and reverse proxy can be used to control access to specific websites or servers.
- Both forward proxy and reverse proxy can be used to cache frequently-requested content to speed up access for clients and reduce the load on the internet connection.
Despite having quite similar definitions the purpose of both the proxies is different and that is what helps us understand both of them clearly.
A forward proxy is a proxy server that sits in front of one or more clients and forwards their requests to the intended servers.
A reverse proxy, on the other hand, is a proxy server that sits in front of one or more servers and forwards incoming requests to them.
So forward proxies are tied to Clients and it is installed in the same location as the client is requesting. All the requests from the clients go thru the forward proxy and it has control of blocking the requests, caching, and logging the access requests.
Whereas reverse proxy is tied to the server and controls access to the server irrespective of the client’s location. It prevents the server to be exposed directly to the client. A reverse proxy can also act as a load balancer for the server.
The following diagram shows how forward proxy is associated with the clients and control access to different websites.
The following diagram shows how reverse proxy sits in Infront of the server and controls access to these.
To summarize it is important to understand that forward and reverse proxies are built and used for different purposes. Privoxy, CCProxy, etc are an example of forward proxy whereas NGINX is an example of a reverse proxy.
