In this article we'll explain what they are, how they work, and which one should you use. There are two main types of proxies; forward proxies and reverse proxies.
A reverse proxy is an application or service that sits between a client and a server. It acts as a gateway to another server. A forward proxy is a web application that sits on top of a web server and intercepts requests from clients before they reach the real server.
A reverse proxy is used when you need to access multiple servers behind a firewall. For example, if you're using a webmail program, you might use a reverse proxy to connect to your email provider.
The main purpose of a reverse proxy is to provide security and load balancing. In addition to providing security and load balancing, a reverse proxy also provides caching and compression. These features make it easier to serve static files such as images and CSS.
A forward proxy is used to connect clients to servers. It provides access to resources such as web applications, databases, and other services. A reverse proxy is used to connect a client to a server. This means that when a user requests a resource from a website, the request goes through the reverse proxy first. Then, the reverse proxy connects the user to the actual server where the requested resource resides.
A forward proxy does the same thing, except it forwards requests from one server to another. In addition to being able to access different servers, a reverse proxy also allows users to use multiple protocols at once. For example, a web browser might make a request to a website using HTTP (the standard protocol), while simultaneously making a request to a secure HTTPS site.
