Forward Proxy

A forward proxy is a server that sits in front of a group of clients and forwards their requests to the internet. Forward proxies are used to protect the privacy of clients, to bypass internet filters and censorship, and to cache frequently requested content for improved performance.

To set up a forward proxy, you will need to install a web server with forward proxy capabilities, such as Squid. Once you have installed the web server, you will need to configure it to act as a forward proxy. This typically involves specifying the IP addresses or hostnames of the clients that are allowed to use the proxy, and any additional settings such as cache sizes or access controls.

To setup a forward proxy:

1. Install Squid on the server that will act as the forward proxy.

2. Edit the /etc/squid/squid.conf configuration file.

3. Add the following lines to the configuration file, replacing acl with a list of IP addresses or hostnames of the clients that are allowed to use the proxy:

   acl allowed_clients src 1.2.3.4 5.6.7.8 http_access allow allowed_clients

4. Save the configuration file and exit.

5. Restart Squid to apply the changes: sudo systemctl restart squid

This will set up a basic forward proxy that allows the specified clients to connect to the internet through the proxy. You can customize the configuration further to add features such as caching or access controls.

Reverse Proxy

A reverse proxy is a server that sits in front of one or more web servers and forwards client requests to the appropriate web server. Reverse proxies are used for a variety of purposes, including load balancing, SSL termination, and as a general abstract layer between clients and servers.

To set up a reverse proxy, you will need to install a web server with reverse proxy capabilities, such as NGINX or HAProxy. Once you have installed the web server, you will need to configure it to act as a reverse proxy. This typically involves specifying the backend servers that the reverse proxy should forward requests to, and any additional settings such as load balancing algorithms or SSL termination.

To set up a reverse proxy using NGINX:

1. Install NGINX on the server that will act as the reverse proxy.

2. Create a configuration file in the /etc/nginx/conf.d directory.

3. Add the following configuration to the file, replacing server_name with the name of your server, and backend_server with the IP address or hostname of your backend server:

   server { listen 80; server_name example.com;

   location / { proxy_pass http://backend_server; proxy_set_header Host $host; proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr; proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for; } }

4. Save the configuration file and exit.

5. Restart NGINX to apply the changes: sudo systemctl restart nginx

This will set up a basic reverse proxy that forwards all client requests to the specified backend server. You can customize the configuration further to add features such as load balancing or SSL termination.