A proxy server is an intermediary between a client and a destination. The client sends a request to the proxy, and the proxy handles the next part of the connection on the client’s behalf.
In everyday networking, the word proxy usually refers to a forward proxy. It sits on the client side of the connection. A reverse proxy sits on the server side instead.
The HTTP Semantics standard, RFC 9110, describes a proxy as a message-forwarding agent selected by the client. Mozilla’s MDN proxy glossary similarly describes a proxy as an intermediary between networks and separates forward proxies from reverse proxies.
Why Proxies Exist
Organizations use proxies to create a controlled point for outbound web traffic. Depending on the environment, that point can support policy enforcement, logging, authentication, caching, and traffic management.
What Happens With HTTPS?
HTTPS changes how a web proxy handles traffic because the browser and destination use TLS encryption. A proxy can relay an HTTPS connection without replacing HTTPS itself. Our HTTPS vs HTTP explainer covers the encryption layer in more detail.
Proxy vs. VPN
A proxy is often configured for a particular application or type of traffic. A VPN usually creates a broader network tunnel that can carry traffic from many applications. They solve related but different networking problems. BitcoinVersus.Tech’s What Is a VPN? guide explains the tunnel model in more detail.
Common Jobs for a Proxy
- Filtering: allow or block categories of outbound requests according to policy.
- Logging: create a central record of proxy-handled traffic for operations and troubleshooting.
- Authentication: require approved users or systems before traffic is forwarded.
- Caching: reuse suitable stored responses instead of requesting them again.
- Traffic control: send supported application traffic through a known, manageable network path.
The Easy Way to Remember It
A proxy is a middle point that acts for the client. A reverse proxy is a middle point that acts for the server.
Editor’s Note
A proxy is one networking layer, not a complete security architecture. Use it alongside appropriate firewall rules, HTTPS, authentication, patching, monitoring, and endpoint controls.
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