Can someone explain what is reverse proxy in simple terms? or What is reverse proxy in simple terms,

"Newbie here—what is reverse proxy in simple terms?"

hey folks, total noob trying to wrap my head around this.

what is reverse proxy in simple terms? like, i get that it sits between clients and servers, but why? is it just for security or does it do more?

also, how’s it different from a regular proxy? sounds similar but i know there’s gotta be a diff.

anyone got a simple analogy or real-world example? my brain’s fried from googling tech jargon lol.

thanks in advance! 🙏

(ps. if this has been asked a million times, sorry—point me to the best thread!)