What is a forward/reverse proxy?
Published in
Aug 18, 2024
A proxy forwards requests. They can filter or change requests.
A forward proxy takes are request for the user and forwards it to a website. Examples are:
- Privoxy: A forward proxy which helps to protect privacy (German Talk from 2016). You can also block advertisement with it.
- Charles Proxy: Allows you to monitor and manipulate traffic. Charles Proxy can be used for testing.
A reverse proxy takes a request for a website and forwards it to a server. They can be used for caching and load balancing. Examples for reverse proxies are nginx or the Apache HTTP Server with mod_proxy.
