Reverse vs. Forward Proxy: What's the Key Difference and When to Use Each? or Reverse vs. Forward Pro

Reverse vs. forward proxy is all about direction, man.

Forward: Client -> Proxy -> Internet (hides clients)
Reverse: Client -> Proxy -> Server (hides servers)

At home, a reverse proxy is clutch for managing multiple services on one IP. Like, I use HAProxy to route traffic to my Pi-hole, NAS, and web server.

If you're just messing around, maybe skip it. But if you're exposing stuff to the internet, a reverse proxy is a must for security.