ABN Techweek- Forward proxy vs. reverse proxy

ABN Tech Week trains engineers on the most important issues in building highly scalable software systems. The topic for today is: Forward proxy vs. reverse proxy.

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:

• Protect clients
• Avoid browsing restrictions
• 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:
• Protect servers
• Load balancing
• Cache static contents
• Encrypt and decrypt SSL communications.

ABN's question to you: Have you implemented these proxies yourself? How did you like that experience?