httproxy - We usually call Nginx a reverse proxy server, so what is a reverse proxy and what is a forward proxy?

Question

We usually call Nginx a reverse proxy server, so what is a reverse proxy and what is a forward proxy?

Answer 1

This is really difficult to understand

Answer 2

• Forward Agent

For example, if you configure a proxy server on IE, this is a forward proxy. In this land, you need to access Google, but if you need fq, you have to configure a proxy server. Then when you access Google, you will connect to the proxy server, and the proxy server will connect to Google, and then return it to you

• Reverse proxy

There is no need to configure a proxy server. If you want to access Google, there is a server that can access Google. You can connect to this proxy server, and then the proxy server can configure an address for you to access. Then, when you access this address, the proxy server will turn to Google and return the data to you

When I first tried to distinguish between forward and reverse, I made the difference by configuring the client (configuring a proxy server). I didn’t understand it well at the time, so I used this method with loopholes.

In fact, there is also a kind of proxy called Transparent proxy, which means that you can function as a forward proxy without configuring a proxy server. You don’t need to know whether there is a proxy server at all.

Answer 3

Highest vote nightire’s answer is already very good, but if you still want to understand it from the perspective of forward and reverse.

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• Forward Agent

Scene:

You want to access the target machine from an intranet environment (such as a wall, or not), but you can't or don't want to connect to it directly. In this case, use a (forward) proxy server as the messenger.

At this time, this process is forward proxy. (^_^)/

• Reverse proxy

Scene:

You want to access an intranet environment from the external network (relatively). At this time, due to firewalls, etc., you cannot connect to it directly, or you do not know which server the target data is on, you only know that there is a gatekeeper ( Reverse proxy server), just ask it and it will help me get the right stuff based on my authorization.

This process at this time is a reverse proxy.

That’s the difference~