Forward Proxy, Reverse Proxy and API Proxy

What is a proxy server?

Proxy service means act on behalf of another machine. Proxy server is a system or router that provides gateway between users and internet. It helps prevent cyber attackers from entering a private network.

What is a forward proxy?

• Forward proxy is used by clients like web browsers and hides details of clients
• its a way to enforce rules for clients in internal private networks to allow/deny access to external internet resources such as file downloads
• proxy server can also act as a cache for frequent requests to same external resource
• forward proxy server can keep track of requests, responses, sources and destinations
• can also be used to enforce authentication, SSL certification and security policies

What is a reverse proxy?

• Reverse proxy is used by servers and hides details of servers
• external users will never know details of internal web servers processing requests making it difficult for attackers to hack
• reverse proxy can also act as load balances to route requests to backend servers

What is an API Proxy?

API Proxy is an interface or a lightweight gateway that sits between clients (frontend) and your backend services.

When should I use API Proxy?

• when you want to decouple frontend from implementation/interface details of backend services, hide complex or multiple backend calls to services
• when you want ability to support protocol translation between frontend and backend, which support different protocols
• when you want to apply common basic security protocol to all backend services in a single place
• when you want to cache the large response or response from slow resource
• when you want to monitor backend calls in a single place

Can you show me how it works with examples?

This schematic covers 2 examples, protocol translation and routing to multiple services