What is a proxy server?

A proxy server is an intermediary on the network that accepts requests and forwards them on your behalf. By using a proxy server, communication between the local client and the web server can be secured, masked, or accelerated. Find out more about proxies at https://you-proxy.com/.

A proxy server is an intermediary or proxy and accepts requests, which it forwards under its own name. The proxy server function can be installed as additional software on a computer or on a dedicated server.

If a connection is established between a client and a server, the client and server addresses remain hidden from the communication partners. Unlike network address translation (NAT), addresses are not just exchanged, but the proxy server itself handles the exchange of data, it can analyze the transmitted packets and, if necessary, change them.

Proxies can serve many different protocols at the same time or specialize in one. HTTP proxies are often used to control communication between users and Internet services. If the proxy has a cache, it can itself respond to certain duplicate requests and thus speed up page searches. Proxies can be implemented as a forwarding proxy or as a reverse proxy for different connection directions.

How a proxy server works using an example of accessing a website

The client’s web browser sends a request to access a specific website to the proxy server responsible for it. It accepts the request and, if necessary, checks if it is a legitimate request from the client. If the request is allowed, there are two options. If the proxy server has a response to the request in its own cache, it sends it directly to the client. If the proxy server has no response in the cache, it sends a request to the web server as a proxy server with its own IP address.

This sends the requested content back to the proxy. The proxy server checks the received data, stores it in its cache and sends it to the client. The client does not contact the IP address of the web server, and the web server does not contact the IP address of the client.