Networking Intermediate

What is Proxy Server?

An intermediary server that forwards requests between clients and destination servers, providing caching, filtering, or anonymity.

A proxy server acts as a gateway between users and the internet. Forward proxies serve clients (hiding client identity), while reverse proxies serve servers (load balancing, SSL termination, caching).

Use cases include content filtering, bandwidth saving through caching, accessing geo-restricted content, and security monitoring. Nginx and Squid are popular proxy server software.

Related Terms

NAT (Network Address Translation)

A method of mapping private IP addresses to public IP addresses, allowing multiple devices to share a single public IP.

Overlay Network

A virtual network built on top of an existing physical network, enabling features like container networking and VPNs.

BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)

The routing protocol that makes the internet work by exchanging routing information between autonomous systems.

A network routing technique where the same IP address is announced from multiple locations, directing users to the nearest server.

DNS over HTTPS (DoH)

A protocol that encrypts DNS queries by sending them over HTTPS, preventing eavesdropping and manipulation of DNS traffic.

The maximum rate of data transfer across a network connection, measured in bits per second.

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