What is a reverse proxy server? Key facts

A reverse proxy server is used in many computer networks to increase the security of the internal network. If you don't know what exactly a reverse proxy server is, in this article we will give you an overview of how it works and what other tasks it performs.

What is hidden behind the term reverse proxy server

In addition to the well-known proxy server, many computer networks also use a reverse proxy server. This is usually located behind the firewall and is used to forward incoming requests to the backend server of a network. The functions of the proxy server and the reverse proxy server are almost identical and differ only in the direction of data flow. While the proxy server is used to regulate access to the Internet, a reverse proxy server receives incoming requests from the Internet and forwards them to the internal web server. In this regard, the use of a reverse proxy server is for the security of the internal web server.

Reverse proxy server: It is used for these purposes

As mentioned earlier, a reverse proxy server is mostly used to protect the internal web server from direct attacks, such as viruses, from the Internet. A reverse proxy server is also commonly used for SSL encryption and to ensure anonymity.

1. In addition, a reverse proxy server can also be used to increase the performance of a network by distributing the workload across multiple servers.
2. Furthermore, with the help of a reverse server, the capture and caching of statistical content, the so-called DNS caching, are possible.
3. To save time, you can additionally equip your reverse proxy server with a packing software that compresses incoming or outgoing data.