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Lesson 9 (Web Proxy Server)

A web proxy server sits between internal clients and the external internet, acting as a firewall to protect clients. It allows clients to access the internet in a secure manner without compromising security. The proxy server listens for requests from clients, forwards them to external servers, and sends responses back to clients. It can cache frequently requested documents to improve performance and allow access even if the proxy server is down. The proxy also controls internet access and filters requests according to administrator-defined rules.

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Jeff Lacasandile
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18 views

Lesson 9 (Web Proxy Server)

A web proxy server sits between internal clients and the external internet, acting as a firewall to protect clients. It allows clients to access the internet in a secure manner without compromising security. The proxy server listens for requests from clients, forwards them to external servers, and sends responses back to clients. It can cache frequently requested documents to improve performance and allow access even if the proxy server is down. The proxy also controls internet access and filters requests according to administrator-defined rules.

Uploaded by

Jeff Lacasandile
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Web Proxy Server

Web Proxy Server


• It is a specialized HTTP server.
• Functions as a firewall.
- protects client computers from hackers by limiting outside
access to clients.
• Allows all clients connected to a Web proxy server to access the
internet from behind a "firewall“.
• Client computers are allowed access to part of the firewall with
minimum effort and without compromising security.
How does a Web Proxy Server work?
• Web proxy server listens for any request from clients
• All requests are forwarded to remote internet servers outside
the firewall.
• Also listens for responses or requests from outside the firewall
(external servers) and sends them to internal client computers.
How does a Web Proxy Server work?
• Usually, all clients with a subnet use the same proxy server.

• This makes it possible for the proxy server to cache documents


that are requested by one or more clients (repeatedly).

• For clients using a web proxy server, it is as if they are getting


responses directly from a remote server.
How does a Web Proxy Server work?
• Clients without Domain Name service can still access the Web
- all that is needed is the proxy server's IP address.

• Most Web Proxy servers are implemented on a per-access


method basis.
- It can allow or deny internet requests according to the
protocols used.
- For example, A proxy server can allow calls to FTP but deny
calls to HTTP servers.
How do Web Browsers Access the
Internet?

• In some cases, certain browsers cannot access the Web because


they are behind a firewall.

• In these cases, the web proxy server can retrieve any desired files
for them.
Caching Documents
• Caching documents means keeping a copy of internet documents
so that the server doesn't need to request them over again.

• It is more effective with the web server than for the client.
-saves disk space because only one copy needs to be cached.

• System administrators can also predict which documents are


worth caching and which ones are not.
Benefits of Caching a
Web Proxy Server
• Reduces the load on the server itself.
• Allows the server to get information from the cache when
responding to repeated client requests for the same document or
data.
• Also makes it possible to browse the Web even if the Web Proxy
Server or external network is down (as long as clients can connect
to the proxy server).
Controlling Access to the
Internet and Subnets?
• Web proxy server makes it possible to filter client “transactions”
at the protocol level.
• Controls access to services for individual methods, hosts, as well as
domains.
• For Example, web proxy servers allow administrators to:
 Decide which requests to grant permission to and which ones to turn
down.
 Specify the URL(s) masks of locations that you don’t want the proxy
server to serve.
 Specify which protocols clients can use the services based on their IP
address.
Configuring Browsers to
Use as a Proxy Servers

• In order to use a web proxy server, the proxy server must channel a
browser’s request.
• Most browsers allow users to configure them so they send their
requests directly to a proxy server.
• For certain browsers, users can ID a proxy server by identifying the
server’s domain name or IP address.
• Browsers will not send their request to a proxy server unless users
configure their browser to look for the proxy server.
An Ordinary Web Transaction
via Server

• When the user enters:


http://mycompany.com/information/ProxyDetails.html
• The browser converts it to:
Get / information/ProxyDetails.html
Communicating via Proxy Server
• The Proxy server acts as both a server system and a client system.
• The proxy server uses the header fields passed to it by the browser
without modification when it connects to the remote server.
• A complete proxy server should be able to communicate all the
Web protocols, the most important ones being HTTP, FTP, Gopher,
and WAIS.
• When a browser sends a request through a proxy server, the
browser always uses HTTP for the transactions with the proxy
server.
HTTP Browser Request to
Remote HTTP Transaction

• When you use a proxy server as a client system, it acts as a browser


to receive documents.
• When you enter the this URL
http://mycompany.com/information/ProxyDetails.html
• The browser converts the URL to:
GET http://mycompany.com/information/ProxyDetails.html
• The proxy server converts this request to:
GET /information/ProxyDetails.html
• An HTTP transaction via a proxy server
HTTP Browser Request to
Remote FTP Transaction

• An HTTP transaction via a proxy server


Proxy Caching
• Proxy server stores all the data it receives as a result of placing
requests for information on the Internet in its cache.

• Cache simply means memory.

• The cache is typically hard disk space, but it could be RAM.


Advantages of Caching Documents
• Save users considerable time when they requested documents
normally located out on the Internet.
• Save considerable network cost and connection time.
• Reduce the amount of disk space browsers use because many local
browsers can use a single copy of a cached document.
• Caching is disk-based; when you restart the server, documents that
you cache are still available.
Caching a Document on
a Proxy Server

Scenario 1:
• user A requests a web page (using
Netscape for example)
• the request goes to the proxy
server
• the proxy server checks to see if the
document is stored in the cache
• the document is not in the cache so
the request is sent to the Internet
• the proxy server receives the
request, stores (or caches) the page
• the page is sent to user A where it is
viewed
Caching a Document on
a Proxy Server

Scenario 2:
• user B request the same page
as user A (i.e. resource.com)
• the request goes to the proxy
server
• the proxy server checks its
cache for the page
• the page is stored in the cache
• the proxy server sends the page
to user B where it is viewed
• no connection to the Internet is
required
Managing Cached Documents
• Many documents available on the Internet are “living” documents.
• Determining when documents should be updated or deleted can be
a difficult task.
• Some documents can remain stable for a very long time and then
suddenly change.
• Other documents can change weekly or on a daily basis.
• You need to decide carefully how often to refresh or delete the
documents held in the cache.

A living document, also known as an evergreen document


or dynamic document, is a document that is continually edited
and updated. 
Access Control
• Proxy Server has the ability to control access to resources since it
sits between a network’s users and the Internet.

• When configured in this way, a proxy server provides institutions


with an effective tool to provide access to remote users.
How Proxy Access Control Works?
Scenario: an off-site (or off-campus)
user connects to the Internet via an
ISP and wants to connect to an IP-
restricted resource:
• user Y from outside internal
network requests access to an
internal resource - proxy server
prompts user Y for validation
• user Y is validated (proxy server
masks user Y’s IP address)
• resource.com assumes user Y is
an institutional computer
For More Information, Visit:

Http://libmain.stfx.ca/gbertran/proxy2.htm
Http://vms.process.com/~help/helpproxy.html
Source:
• https://www.presentica.com/ppt/93269/web-proxy-server

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