There are different kinds of web proxies. A traditional HTTP proxy, also called a forward proxy, accepts requests from clients (usually web browsers), contacts the remote server, and returns the responses. A reverse proxy is a web server that is placed in front of other servers, providing a unified frontend and acting as a gateway. As far as the web browsers are concerned, the reverse proxy is the "real" server, as that is the only one they interact with. The reverse proxy relays requests as necessary to the backend servers. |