forward proxy vs reverse proxy

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[Nguyen Hoang]

Why is Nginx called a “𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞” proxy?
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The diagram below shows the differences between a 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐲 and a 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐲.

🔹 A forward proxy is a server that sits between user devices and the internet.

A forward proxy is commonly used for:
1️⃣ Protect clients
2️⃣ Avoid browsing restrictions
3️⃣ Block access to certain content

🔹 A reverse proxy is a server that accepts a request from the client, forwards the request to web servers, and returns the results to the client as if the proxy server had processed the request.

A reverse proxy is good for:
1️⃣ Protect servers
2️⃣ Load balancing
3️⃣ Cache static contents
4️⃣ Encrypt and decrypt SSL communications

Over to you: What’s the difference between a reverse proxy and a load balancer? What are some of the most popular proxy servers?