"New to networking—what is proxy and reverse proxy exactly?"
Hey folks! So I’ve been hearing these terms *proxy* and *reverse proxy* thrown around a lot, but I’m still kinda confused. Like, what is proxy and reverse proxy *actually*?
From what I gather, a proxy sits between you and the internet, hiding your IP and maybe caching stuff. But a reverse proxy? That’s like the opposite—it sits in front of servers, handling requests for them.
But like… why use one over the other? When would I need a regular proxy vs a reverse proxy? And do they both just forward traffic or is there more to it?
Would love a simple breakdown (bonus points for real-world examples!). Thanks in advance!
*P.S. Go easy on the jargon, my brain’s still processing TCP/IP lol.*
Hey folks! So I’ve been hearing these terms *proxy* and *reverse proxy* thrown around a lot, but I’m still kinda confused. Like, what is proxy and reverse proxy *actually*?
From what I gather, a proxy sits between you and the internet, hiding your IP and maybe caching stuff. But a reverse proxy? That’s like the opposite—it sits in front of servers, handling requests for them.
But like… why use one over the other? When would I need a regular proxy vs a reverse proxy? And do they both just forward traffic or is there more to it?
Would love a simple breakdown (bonus points for real-world examples!). Thanks in advance!
*P.S. Go easy on the jargon, my brain’s still processing TCP/IP lol.*