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Proxy and Reverse Proxy Servers

The document discusses proxy and reverse proxy servers. A proxy server acts as an intermediary between local network computers and the internet, making requests on behalf of clients. Features of proxy servers include caching frequently visited pages to improve loading speed, filtering and tracking client requests, and authenticating users. A reverse proxy allows external users to indirectly access internal servers and provides security, caching, and load balancing benefits.

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Sridip Bhattacharya
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37 views4 pages

Proxy and Reverse Proxy Servers

The document discusses proxy and reverse proxy servers. A proxy server acts as an intermediary between local network computers and the internet, making requests on behalf of clients. Features of proxy servers include caching frequently visited pages to improve loading speed, filtering and tracking client requests, and authenticating users. A reverse proxy allows external users to indirectly access internal servers and provides security, caching, and load balancing benefits.

Uploaded by

Sridip Bhattacharya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Proxy and reverse proxy servers

Proxy servers

A proxy server is a machine which acts as an intermediary between the computers of


a local area network (sometimes using protocols other than TCP/IP) and the Internet
Most of the time the proxy server is used for the web, and when it is, it's
an HTTPproxy. However, there can be proxy servers for every application protocol (FTP,
etc.).

The operating principle of a proxy server

The basic operating principle of a proxy server is quite simple: It is server which acts
as a "proxy" for an application by making a request on the Internet in its stead. This
way, whenever a user connects to the Internet using a client application configured to
use a proxy server, the application will first connect to the proxy server and give it its
request. The proxy server then connects to the server which the client application
wants to connect to and sends that server the request. Next, the server gives its reply
to the proxy, which then finally sends it to the application client
Features of a proxy server

Nowadays, by using TCP/IP within local area networks, the relaying role that the proxy
server plays is handled directly by gateways and routers. However, proxy servers are
still being used, as they have some other features.

Caching

Most proxies have a cache, the ability to keep pages commonly visited by users in
memory (or "in cache"), so they can provide them as quickly as possible. Indeed, the
term "cache" is used often in computer science to refer to a temporary data storage
space (also sometimes called a "buffer.")
A proxy server with the ability to cache information is generally called a "proxy-
cache server".
The feature, implemented on some proxy servers, is used both to reduce Internet
bandwidth use and to reduce document loading time for users.

Nevertheless, to achieve this, the proxy must compare the data it stores in cached
memory with the remote data on a regular basis, in order to ensure that the cached
data is still valid.

Filtering

What's more, by using a proxy server, connections can be tracked by creatinglogs for
systematically recording user queries when they request connections to the Internet
Because of this, Internet connections can be filtered, by analysing both client requests
and server replies. When filtering is done by comparing a client's request to a list of
authorized requests, this is called whitelisting, and when it's done with a list of
forbidden sites, it's called blacklisting. Finally, analysing server replies that comply
with a list of criteria (such as keywords) is called content filtering.

Authentication

As a proxy is an indispensable intermediary tool for internal network users who want
to access external resources, it can sometimes be used to authenticate users, meaning
to ask them to identify themselves, such as with a username and password. It is also
easy to grant access to external resources only to individuals authorized to do so, and
to record each use of external resources in log files.

This type of mechanism, when implemented, obviously raises many issues related to
individual liberties and personal rights.
Reverse-proxy servers

A reverse-proxy is a "backwards" proxy-cache server; it's a proxy server that, rather


than allowing internal users to access the Internet, lets Internet users indirectly access
certain internal servers.

The reverse-proxy server is used as an intermediary by Internet users who want to


access an internal website, by sending it requests indirectly. With a reverse-proxy, the
web server is protected from direct outside attacks, which increases the internal
network's strength. What's more, a reverse-proxy's cache function can lower the
workload if the server it is assigned to, and for this reason is sometimes called a server
accelerator.
Finally, with perfected algorithms, the reverse-proxy can distribute the workload by
redirecting requests to other, similar servers; this process is called load balancing.

Setting up a proxy server

The most widely used proxy, without a doubt, is Squid, a free software program
available for several platforms, including Windows and Linux.
In Windows, there are several programs for setting up a local area network proxy
server at a low cost:

 Wingate is the most common solution (but isn't free of charge)


 Configuring a proxy with Jana server is becoming more and more common
 Windows 2000 includes Microsoft Proxy Server (MSP), which works with Microsoft
Proxy Client
Source: http://en.kioskea.net/contents/308-proxy-and-reverse-proxy-servers

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