Reverse Proxy

1. Overview

Definition: A reverse proxy is a server that sits between client devices and web servers, forward requests from clients to one or more backend servers.
Functionality:
- Hides the backend server's IP address from clients.
- Implements load balancing by distributing incoming requests across multiple servers.
- Enhances security by acting as a gateway and filtering traffic.
Common Use Cases:
- Load balancing to improve performance.
- SSL termination to manage encryption/decryption.
- Caching static content to reduce server load.
Popular Software:
- Nginx
- Apache HTTP Server (using mod_proxy)
- HAProxy
- Caddy