What’s the difference between Forward Proxy and Reverse Proxy?

Forward Proxy acts as an intermediary between clients and external servers. It's typically deployed on the client side and handles outbound traffic. Key components include:

1. Client-Side Proxy: Intercepts outbound requests from clients.

2. Anonymity Service: Masks client IP addresses for privacy dependency.

3. Content Filter: Restricts access to certain websites or content.

4. Caching System: Stores frequently accessed content to improve performance.

Forward Proxy uses techniques like IP masking to enhance privacy and content filtering to enforce access controls. It's ideal for organizations wanting to manage outbound traffic and maintain user anonymity.

Reverse Proxy, on the other hand, operates on the server side as a front-end for backend servers. Main components include:

1. Server-Side Proxy: Intercepts incoming client requests.

2. Load Balancer: Distributes traffic across multiple backend servers.

3. SSL Termination: Handles encryption/decryption to offload backend servers.

4. Content Optimizer: Caches static content and compresses data.

Reverse Proxy employs algorithms like round-robin or least connections for load balancing. It also uses caching and compression techniques to optimize content delivery and reduce latency.

The key difference is their placement and purpose: Forward Proxy shields clients from external networks, while Reverse Proxy protects and optimizes backend servers.