What is the Difference Between Proxy vs Reverse Proxy

Businesses often use proxy servers to help prevent cyber attackers from accessing their private networks. It is an “intermediary” between end-users and the resources they visit online. However, there’s often confusion around how a standard proxy is different from a reverse proxy.

What Is a Proxy Server?

A proxy server, also referred to as a forward proxy, routes traffic between clients and another system. When a client makes a connection attempt to the server on the Internet, its request has to pass through the forward proxy first. Forward proxies are good for:

• Content filtering
• Email security
• Network address translation
• Compliance reporting

What Is a Reverse Proxy?

A reverse proxy does the opposite of the forward proxy. While the forward proxy works on behalf of clients, the reverse proxy routes traffic on behalf of one or more servers. It serves as a gateway between clients, users, and application servers and handles all policy management and traffic routing. It also protects the identity of the server that processes the request. When an end user attempts to connect to a server, they may actually connect to a reverse proxy, which in turn makes its own connection to the real server. Reverse proxies are good for application delivery including:

• Load balancing
• SSL Offload/Acceleration
• Caching
• Compression
• Content switching/redirection
• Application firewall
• Server obfuscation
• Authentication
• Single sign on

The Benefit of Both Proxy and Reverse Proxy

Proxies provide a layer of security for your resources. This extra security allows your company to filter traffic according to its level of safety or how much traffic your network can handle. Proxies can be use to accomplish a few tasks:

• Improve security
• Secure employees’ internet activity from cyberattackers
• Balance internet traffic to prevent crashes
• Control the websites employees and staff access in the office
• Save bandwidth by caching files or compressing incoming traffic

Managing Access with PacGenesis and strongDM

strongDM extends single sign-on capabilities of your identity provider, allowing you to authenticate users to any server or database. From their Admin UI, businesses can view connected devices and manage role-based access control for your users.

To learn more about strongDM, contact PacGenesis today. With over 10 years of experience in data security, we are always learning about cutting-edge security solutions to help keep your business data safe. We work with companies like strongDM to find the solutions that best fit your business.
To learn more about PacGenesis, follow @PacGenesis on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or visit us at pacgenesis.com.

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