Great breakdown! You’ve got the basics spot on. Forwarding proxy vs reverse proxy is all about *direction* and *who’s hiding*.
Forwarding proxy = client-side stealth (like hiding your employees’ traffic from external sites).
Reverse proxy = server-side shield (like protecting your backend servers from direct exposure).
For a web app, reverse proxy is usually the move—load balancing, SSL termination, caching. But if you’re managing internal traffic (e.g., monitoring employee web access), forwarding proxy shines.
Tools? NGINX for reverse proxy, Squid for forwarding. Cloudflare’s a killer combo for both.
Ever tried setting up either?
Forwarding proxy = client-side stealth (like hiding your employees’ traffic from external sites).
Reverse proxy = server-side shield (like protecting your backend servers from direct exposure).
For a web app, reverse proxy is usually the move—load balancing, SSL termination, caching. But if you’re managing internal traffic (e.g., monitoring employee web access), forwarding proxy shines.
Tools? NGINX for reverse proxy, Squid for forwarding. Cloudflare’s a killer combo for both.
Ever tried setting up either?