A Reverse Proxy Server, sometimes also called a reverse proxy web server, often a feature of a load balancing solution, stands between web servers and users, similar to a forward proxy. However, unlike the forward proxy which sits in front of users, guarding their privacy, the reverse proxy sits in front of web servers, and intercepts requests.
A reverse proxy server acts like a middleman, communicating with the users so the users never interact directly with the origin servers. It also balances client requests based on location and demand, and offers additional security. A reverse proxy cache server can:
- Enhance performance by caching local content
- Disguise the characteristics and existence of origin servers
- Carry TLS acceleration hardware, enabling them to perform TLS encryption in place of secure websites
- Distribute load from incoming requests to each of several servers (load balancing)
- Compress content, optimizing it and speeding loading times
- Perform multivariate testing and A/B testing without inserting JavaScript into pages
- Protection from DDoS attacks and related security issues