The difference between forward proxy and reverse proxy

The differences are: different uses. Different security. Different purposes. Different agents. Different service objects. Different functions.

The purpose is different. The typical use of a forward proxy is to provide a way for LAN clients inside a firewall to access the Internet. A forward proxy can also use buffering features to reduce network usage. The typical use of a reverse proxy is to provide access to servers behind a firewall to Internet users.

Security is different. A forward proxy allows clients to access any website through it and hides the client itself, so you must take security measures to ensure that only authorized clients are served. A reverse proxy is transparent to the outside world, and visitors do not know that they are accessing a proxy.

The purpose is different. The forward proxy actually acts as a proxy for the client. The reverse proxy acts as a proxy for the target server.

Proxies are different. A forward proxy is a client architecture, while a reverse proxy is a server architecture.

The service objects are different. In a forward proxy, the server does not know who the real user is. In a reverse proxy, the user does not know who the real server is.

Different functions. Forward proxy is mainly used to solve access problems. Reverse proxy is mainly used to solve load balancing and security protection, but both can improve access speed.

Client Introduction:

Client (also known as user end) refers to the program that corresponds to the server and provides local services to the client. The client is usually installed on an ordinary client and needs to work with the server. After the development of the Internet, the more commonly used user ends include web browsers used in the World Wide Web, email clients when sending and receiving emails, and instant messaging client software. The relationship between the client and the server does not necessarily have to be established on two separate machines. This master-slave relationship also exists in the same machine.

Server Introduction:

A server, also known as a server, is a device that provides computing services. Since servers need to respond to service requests and perform processing, they should generally have the ability to provide and guarantee services. They are usually divided into file servers, database servers, application servers, WEB servers, etc. The composition of a server includes a processor, hard disk, memory, system bus, etc. Compared with general computer architecture, it has higher requirements in terms of processing power, stability, reliability, security, scalability, manageability, etc.

Forward proxy introduction:

A forward proxy is a server located between the client and the original server. In order to obtain content from the original server, the client sends a request to the proxy and specifies the target (original server). The proxy then forwards the request to the original server and returns the obtained content to the client. The client can use a forward proxy. The typical use of a forward proxy is to provide a way for LAN clients inside a firewall to access the Internet. A forward proxy can also use a buffering feature to reduce network usage.

Reverse proxy introduction:

The reverse proxy method refers to using a proxy server to accept connection requests on the Internet, then forward the request to the server on the internal network, and return the result obtained from the server to the client requesting the connection on the Internet. At this time, the proxy server appears to the outside as a server. By placing reverse proxy node servers in various places on the network to form a layer of intelligent virtual network based on the existing Internet, the CDN system can redirect user requests to the service node closest to the user in real time based on comprehensive information such as network traffic and the connection and load status of each node, as well as the distance to the user and the response time.