Reverse Proxy
A server that sits between clients and backend services, forwarding requests while providing security, caching, and load balancing.
Definition
A reverse proxy is a server positioned between client devices and backend application servers. It intercepts incoming requests, applies processing rules, and forwards them to the appropriate backend service. Unlike a forward proxy that acts on behalf of clients, a reverse proxy acts on behalf of servers, shielding them from direct internet exposure.
Reverse proxies handle SSL termination, request routing, caching, compression, rate limiting, and load balancing. Popular implementations include Nginx, Caddy, Traefik, and cloud-native options like AWS ALB and Cloudflare Workers.
Why It Matters
Reverse proxies are foundational infrastructure for any serious web application. They improve security by hiding backend server details, boost performance through caching and compression, and enable sophisticated traffic management patterns.
For growing applications, a reverse proxy provides the flexibility to split a monolithic application into microservices, route different URL paths to different backends, and implement A/B testing at the infrastructure level without modifying application code.
Examples in Practice
A company uses Nginx as a reverse proxy to route API requests to their backend service, static assets to a CDN, and marketing pages to their CMS, all from the same domain name.
An agency configures Cloudflare as a reverse proxy to cache their client's marketing site at the edge, reducing server load by 90% and cutting page load times for international visitors from 3 seconds to under 500 milliseconds.