Web applications need to deliver on multiple fronts. They need to be available 24/7. They also need to respond quickly to client requests and be secure in the current threat landscape. Deploying a load balancer that’s acting as a reverse proxy enables IT teams to address these issues and more.
A reverse proxy is an intermediary server that sits between clients and application servers. When organizations deploy the correct load balancer as a proxy server, application performance and uptime get maximized. They also even out network traffic fluctuations and enhance security.
For organizations, teams and departments within the organization looking to get started with a proxy server load balancer, the Progress Kemp Free Load Balancer solution is an excellent introductory solution. And one that can grow with your needs into production by installing a commercial license without having to start from scratch with a new deployment if you decide to expand the use.
What is a Reverse Proxy?
A reverse proxy is a service that runs on a server that sits between backend web application servers and clients to receive access requests from the clients (or other servers).
When a client request arrives for a web application, it is routed to the reverse proxy rather than to the web server directly. The reverse proxy server determines which application server is best to handle the request, and it sends the access request to that server. The application server then receives the responses and sends these back to the clients that made the initial access request.
This setup has many advantages. Security is enhanced as there is no direct communication between clients and the application servers. Plus, the application servers are hidden from the internet and probes for vulnerabilities by cybercriminals.
The Free Load Balancer solution runs the same code base as the commercial editions. It’s a fully functional reverse proxy server, in addition to being an industry-leading load balancer and application delivery controller.
How Does Reverse Proxy Work?
A good way to understand how a reverse proxy works is to follow the steps that occur when a client requests a website.
The Initial Client Request - When trying to access a website or online application, the client sends an HTTP or HTTPS request. The initial request is directed to the reverse proxy that is handling the IP address of the website URL. Bear in mind that access requests can come from an end-user device or another web server or application, but we’ll use the term client for all requests.
Proxy Reception and Processing - The proxy server examines the incoming access requests and, using predefined rules, decides which application or web servers are best suited to process the access requests. The examination of incoming requests by the proxy server includes security screening of the network packets and, in many cases, checking to see if the requested content is available in the proxy server cache to deliver to the client directly without using a backend server.
Backend Server Forwarding - If local caching can’t fulfill the content needed, the proxy server forwards the request to a backend server. This forwarding to different servers is entirely transparent to the client. The proxy server, especially when running on a load balancer like LoadMaster, selects the best server to send the request to using criteria like geographic location, current load or the type of content requested—dedicated video streaming servers for serving videos, for example.
Server Processing - The backend server(s) process the access requests and generates the response for the client. This response is NOT sent directly to the client. Instead, the backend server sends it to the proxy server.
Response Manipulation and Delivery - When the proxy server receives the response data from the backend server, it prepares it for sending to the client. This processing often includes compression to reduce the amount of data sent over the network, adding security information and TLS/SSL encryption. The proxy server will also store the information received in its local cache to use for any identical requests that come from other clients. This local caching has a time-to-live associated with it, so the proxy server doesn’t send outdated content to clients.
Key Benefits of Using a Reverse Proxy Server
Many real-world web services you’ll be familiar with use a reverse proxy. Some examples include:
E-commerce Platforms - Huge online retailers like Amazon use reverse proxies to route user requests to different services based on whether customers are browsing products, checking out or tracking existing orders.
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) - These global services, which streaming apps such as Netflix and Disney+ use to deliver video content from locations close to users, use reverse proxies to serve cached content from locations geographically closer to subscribers.
Social Media Platforms - Social media services use load-balancing reverse proxies to distribute enormous volumes of requests across thousands of servers while presenting a single, consistent interface to users.
Business Application Providers - A good example is a banking application that must maintain strict security while making it seamless for customers to access their accounts and their money. Applications delivering financial services use a reverse proxy to direct authentication requests to a specialized secure server optimized for this task. It does this while also routing general browsing traffic to content web servers. They can also use a load-balancing proxy server to spread the load across all available servers during busy periods, such as the end of the month when salaries are paid into accounts or for popular shopping events that cause significant spikes in account activity.
In addition to the benefits listed above, let’s list some technical benefits that flow from using reverse proxies:
Enhanced Security - Using proxy servers to handle all client interactions means that all the backend servers are hidden from the internet, making them harder for attackers to discover and directly target. The proxy can also block suspicious requests, implement rate limiting to prevent abuse and low-level denial of service (DoS) attacks and act as a firewall for your applications (in addition to other, still needed) perimeter firewalls.
Load Distribution - Traffic and access requests get spread across multiple servers, helping any server from becoming overwhelmed. This keeps your site responsive even during busy periods and guards against unplanned downtime. This is especially true for proxy server services that are running on a modern load balancer like the LoadMaster solution, which takes the traffic distribution to a more sophisticated level.
TLS/SSL Processing - Encryption for data traveling over a network is essential. The processing required to encrypt and decrypt network data packets is significant enough to put a noticeable load on application servers. A proxy server can “offload” this encryption and decryption work from the application servers, freeing up server resources for applications. Some hardware models of LoadMaster include dedicated TLS/SSL processing chips to handle this task, which are ideal for high-traffic and ultra-secure sites.
Content Caching - Static web content like images, stylesheets and JavaScript files that don’t change often can be stored in a memory cache on the proxy server. When users request these items, the proxy server can deliver them directly without having to waste time communicating with the backend servers, speeding up response times. This cached content gets allocated a time-to-live so that the proxy server requests the latest copy from the backend servers on a regular basis.
Data Compression - Proxy servers can compress data before sending it to clients, reducing bandwidth usage and improving response times for users. This is especially useful for users on slower connections.
Common Use Cases for Reverse Proxy Services
We’ve already mentioned several use cases for proxy servers. The list below adds to these by highlighting broad categories of organizations that use proxy servers:
Large-scale websites
Software-as-a-Service platforms
Online retailers
Development teams
Many teams and even organizations often start with the free LoadMaster version for basic needs, then upgrade to the commercial edition when they require advanced features like global load balancing or commercial use. Note that upgrading from free LoadMaster doesn’t require installing and configuring LoadMaster again from scratch—just the deployment of a commercial license.
Reverse Proxy vs Load Balancer: What’s the Difference?
Some people often use the terms reverse proxy and load balancer interchangeably. This is a mistake as they are not the same technologies. Here are the headline differences:
Reverse proxy - Forwards client requests to backend servers and handles passing back the responses from the servers to the clients.
Load balancer - Specifically focuses on distributing requests evenly across multiple backend servers to help prevent server overload or service downtime.
In reality, most load balancers combine these functions into a single solution, along with other security and application experience functionality. The Progress Free Load Balancer provides both proxy server functionality and Layer 4 and Layer 7 load balancing, plus many other features.
To learn more about load balancing, read our Load Balancing 101 article.
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Hopefully, this article has intrigued you enough that you now want to try a reverse proxy hosted on a load balancer to improve the performance, security and scalability of your applications.
If you are about to start a new application project or want to optimize an existing deployment, consider deploying a reverse proxy running on the Progress Kemp Free Load Balancer in your DevSecOps or QA environment to see how the free LoadMaster can transform your application performance and security.
When doing this, you have:
No upfront costs or credit card requirements
Quick deployment process
Support for HTTP, HTTPS, TCP and UDP protocols
If you’d like to see reviews from industry professionals on how deploying LoadMaster has improved their infrastructure projects, then have a look at the LoadMaster G2 reviews and comments.
Start your journey with LoadMaster today.
If you like what you find, then you can upgrade the free LoadMaster to the commercial version by deploying a new license. There is no need to reinstall a new commercial version of the solutions, as both free and commercial use the same code base.
Reverse Proxy FAQs
What is a reverse proxy in simple terms?
A reverse proxy is a service running on a server sitting between clients and web servers. The proxy server receives requests from clients and forwards them to an appropriate backend server for processing. You can think of a proxy server like a receptionist for a website. When clients try to access the site, the reverse proxy forwards them to the backend servers as required. The proxy server also receives responses from the web servers and forwards them to the clients. This process is transparent to clients accessing a website.
Is a reverse proxy the same as a load balancer?
They’re related but provide different functionality. A reverse proxy handles client requests to servers and the responses from those servers to client requests, while a load balancer intelligently distributes access across multiple servers and server types. The LoadMaster solution combines both into a single solution.
When should I use a reverse proxy?
You should consider using a reverse proxy when you need to boost security by hiding your backend server infrastructure. Improving response times via content caching is also a reason for using a reverse proxy to handle client access requests. As is the simplification of TLS/SSL certificate management.
Can I set up a reverse proxy for free?
Yes. The LoadBalancer solution runs the same code as the commercial version, and it includes the same reverse proxy service functionality as the commercial product. The Free LoadMaster version also includes enterprise-level features like TLS/SSL termination, content caching and Layer 4 and 7 load balancing. This makes it an excellent introduction to the use of proxy servers and load balancers. All without any upfront spending requirements or commitments to ongoing support costs.
How does Freeloadbalancer compare to other services?
The Free LoadBalancer solution is available from Freeloadbalancer provides enterprise-grade functionality without arbitrary restrictions. Compared to other free and commercial alternatives, it provides core features without the need to commit to any subscription costs. Its intuitive interface and extensive documentation make it more approachable than complex open-source options. At the same time, its deployment flexibility across major virtualization platforms exceeds many cloud-only services. This makes it suitable for testing, small production environments or teams learning traffic management techniques.