What is Reverse Proxy?

A reverse proxy serves as a middle layer between clients and backend servers. It helps improve security, optimize performance, and manage user requests at scale.

What Is Reverse Proxy?

A reverse proxy sits between clients (like web browsers) and one or more backend servers. When clients send requests, they first reach the reverse proxy, which forwards them to the appropriate server. The servers respond to the proxy, and it relays back to the client. Thus, clients never talk directly with backend servers.
Using a reverse proxy helps shield your internal servers and centralize control over incoming traffic.

Key Features of Reverse Proxy

Load Balancing
A reverse proxy distributes client requests evenly among several backend servers to maintain optimal performance and prevent overload.
SSL / TLS Termination
It can handle encryption and decryption of HTTPS traffic centrally. Backends can run HTTP internally, reducing encryption overhead on each server.
Caching & Compression
It may cache static assets (images, CSS, JS) or compress content to reduce bandwidth usage and latency.
Security & Request Filtering
It inspects requests for malicious patterns, blocks unwanted traffic, enforces rate limits, and mitigates DDoS attacks.
URL Rewriting & Path Routing
It can rewrite URLs or route specific paths to different backend servers (e.g. /api to one cluster, /images to another).
Logging & Analytics Centralization
Collects access logs, metrics, and user data centrally before forwarding to backends.

These features make reverse proxies powerful tools in modern architecture.

Common Use Cases of Reverse Proxy

Web Server Protection & Security
Companies front their real servers with a reverse proxy to hide internal details and filter attacks (e.g. SQL injection, brute force).
Microservices / API Gateway
In microservices architecture, a reverse proxy (as API gateway) routes client requests to different microservice endpoints.
Multi-Tenant and CDN Integration
A reverse proxy can integrate with a content delivery network (CDN) or serve multiple domain names, directing traffic accordingly.
Zero-Downtime Deployments / Canary Releases
You can route part of traffic to a new version of backend infrastructure (canary) or shift all traffic gradually without downtime.
Application in Ads & Automation Tools
In tools like AdsPower or cloaker systems, reverse proxy features enable mirroring or shielding of campaign landing pages and domain cloaking. For instance, Adspect (a service within the AdsPower ecosystem) supports reverse proxy to mirror external sites under your domain while preserving navigation.

FAQ

1. What is a reverse proxy used for?
It is used to enhance performance, security, and scalability by controlling, routing, and filtering client traffic before it reaches backend servers.

2. What is the difference between a proxy and a reverse proxy?
A forward proxy sits in front of clients and acts on their behalf to access external servers (used for anonymity, censorship bypass). A reverse proxy sits in front of servers and handles incoming client requests (used for load balancing, security, caching).

3. What is the difference between reverse proxy and full proxy?
A "full proxy" generally intercepts both client and server traffic and can inspect both directions. Reverse proxy typically deals with inbound client→server requests. Full proxy is often more generic in context, but reverse proxy is specialized for server-side interception.

4. Is VPN a reverse proxy?
No. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) secures and tunnels all client traffic to a remote network. It does not usually perform load balancing, caching, or routing of server-side requests. VPN is about private connectivity, not server reverse routing.

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