Reverse Proxy

What Is a Reverse Proxy?

A reverse proxy is a server that sits in front of one or more backend servers, handling incoming client requests and forwarding them to the appropriate server. It adds a layer of abstraction and control, often used for security, load balancing, and convenience.

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Unlike a traditional proxy (which protects clients by forwarding their requests to the internet), a reverse proxy protects servers by receiving all incoming traffic first. Clients don’t talk directly to your backend servers — instead, they only communicate with the reverse proxy.

This setup brings several benefits:

• Abstraction & Obfuscation: The true location, IP, and structure of your backend servers are hidden from the outside world. Attackers see only the reverse proxy.
• Centralized TLS/SSL management: Instead of setting up HTTPS certificates on every service, the reverse proxy can handle encryption in one place, simplifying administration.
• Traffic filtering & inspection: The proxy can enforce access rules, filter headers, apply request limits, and block malicious traffic before it reaches backend services.
• Performance & scalability: By acting as an entry point, a reverse proxy can distribute incoming traffic across multiple servers (load balancing), reduce strain on any single system, and keep services running smoothly even under heavy demand.
• Convenience: You can expose multiple services on a single IP and port (like 443 for HTTPS), routing requests to the right backend based on hostname or URL path.
  

That said, a reverse proxy is not a silver bullet for security. If your backend application has vulnerabilities (like SQL injection or poor authentication), the reverse proxy will still pass those requests through. Its strength comes from reducing exposure, centralizing defenses, and giving you more tools to secure and scale services.

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Use Cases

1. SSL Termination: Handling HTTPS encryption at the proxy instead of each backend server, reducing overhead and simplifying certificate management.
2. Load Balancing: Distributing requests across multiple servers to improve performance and uptime.
3. Access Control & Filtering: Restricting traffic by IP, applying rate limits, or blocking suspicious requests before they reach sensitive systems.
4. Single Entry Point for Many Services: Running multiple apps (e.g., app.example.com, api.example.com) behind one public-facing IP.
5. Hiding Internal Infrastructure: Keeping backend servers invisible to the public internet, making direct attacks harder.
6. Convenience in Home Labs: Allowing hobbyists or IT teams to expose services like media servers, dashboards, or remote desktops securely under one domain without opening multiple ports.

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Best Practices

• Don’t rely on reverse proxy alone for security. Always patch and secure backend services — vulnerabilities will still pass through.
• Enable HTTPS everywhere. Terminate TLS at the proxy and re-encrypt internally if needed.
• Add extra layers. Use features like IP whitelisting, fail2ban, authentication at the proxy level, and rate limiting to harden access.
• Limit exposure. If possible, pair reverse proxies with VPNs or private networks so only trusted users can even reach the proxy.
• Monitor logs. Reverse proxies give you a central place to observe traffic, detect anomalies, and spot potential attacks.
• Scale smartly. For larger infrastructures, use your reverse proxy for load balancing and high availability.