Forward Proxy vs Reverse Proxy

Both are servers that sit between a client and a server, but they serve different purposes.

Forward Proxy

Imagine using your office laptop to access YouTube.
Your request first goes to a Forward Proxy server managed by your company.
The proxy checks whether YouTube is allowed.
If it is allowed, the proxy forwards your request to YouTube and sends the response back to you.
From YouTube's perspective, the request comes from the proxy server rather than directly from your laptop.
A Forward Proxy sits on the client side and can:
- Control internet access.
- Filter requests.
- Hide the client's IP address from destination servers.
Popular examples include Zscaler and Squid Proxy.

Imagine visiting an application like Netflix.
You type netflix.com, and your request reaches a Reverse Proxy in front of the application's backend servers.
The proxy receives your request and forwards it to an appropriate backend server, instead of exposing every backend server directly.
Once the backend responds, the proxy sends the response back to your browser.
A Reverse Proxy can also:
- Distribute traffic across multiple servers.
- Cache responses.
- Handle HTTPS encryption.
Popular examples include NGINX and HAProxy.

Forward Proxy: sits in front of clients and forwards their requests to external servers.
Reverse Proxy: sits in front of servers and receives client requests before forwarding them to backend servers.