Reverse Proxy
What is a Reverse Proxy?
A reverse proxy is a server that sits between client devices and a backend server, forwarding client requests to the backend server and returning the server's responses to the clients. Unlike a forward proxy, which serves client requests to the internet, a reverse proxy handles requests from the internet to the server.
When to use?
Use Reverse Proxy to improve security, load balancing, SSL termination, authentication and caching.
How does it work?
When the client like Browser or Mobile app sends a request, it gets routed through the internet and hits the reverse proxy server. The reverse proxy server then examines the request and figures out which application server should get the request and forwards it to the respective server.
Key features
- Load Balancing: Distributes incoming traffic across multiple backend servers to ensure no single server is overwhelmed, improving performance and reliability.
- Security: Acts as a barrier between clients and backend servers, helping to protect against attacks and hide the backend server's identity.
- Caching: Stores copies of frequently requested content to reduce the load on backend servers and speed up response times.
- SSL Termination: Offloads the SSL encryption/decryption process from backend servers, reducing their workload and simplifying certificate management.
Common Use Cases
- Web Acceleration: Speeds up the delivery of web content by caching static content and compressing data.
- Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB): Distributes traffic across servers located in different geographical regions to improve availability and performance.
- Application Firewall: Provides an additional layer of security by filtering and monitoring incoming traffic to protect against malicious activities.
Popular Reverse Proxy Servers
- Nginx (opens in a new tab): A high-performance, open-source web server and reverse proxy server known for its speed, scalability, and flexibility.
- Apache HTTP Server (opens in a new tab): A widely used open-source web server that can also function as a reverse proxy server.
- HAProxy (opens in a new tab): A free, open-source software that provides high availability, load balancing, and proxying for TCP and HTTP-based applications.