A proxy server is a program that stands between an internal network and the external Internet, intercepting requests for information. A proxy is generally part of a broader solution to internal network security called a firewall.
The purpose of a proxy is to prevent external users from directly accessing resources inside the internal network or knowing precisely where those resources are located. The proxy intercepts an external request for information, determines whether the request can be fulfilled, and passes on the request to an internal server, the address of which is not disclosed to the external client. This protection from external attack comes at the price of imposing inconveniences (including configuration hassles and slower performance) on internal users who want to access the external Internet. See firewall.
Technipages Explains Proxy Server
A proxy makes it hard for cybercriminals and hackers to exploit loopholes in the servers and related application, gaining unpermitted access into the network, this is done by disguising the location of the parent server of the information. Fighting cybercriminals and hackers comes at the cost of having slower performance, configuration troubles on the client who wants to use the external internal.
Before a request from a proxy is completed, the proxy intercepts a request for information, then ascertains whether the request can be fulfilled, and then relays the request to an internal server, during all this while the address of the data is not revealed to the requester of the information.
On online platforms, such as American Online, when platforms clients and users visit a webpage, a server is configured to store such web pages. So when clients request these pages, the server provides the stored copy instead of requesting the same page from the external internet. The downside to this is that the stored pages may be out-of-date even though the clients now see webpages faster and a lighter load on the network.
Common Uses of Proxy Server
- Connecting to the internet through a proxy server makes it hard for anyone to track because a proxy server makes it hard to pinpoint one’s location
- Proxy servers act as a stand between a client’s computer system and an external internet for exchange of information and data
- Nowadays, we use proxy servers for various purpose like sharing internet connection on a local area network and hiding our IP (Internet Protocol addresses)
Common Misuses of Proxy Server
- Frequently visited pages do not get stored on a proxy server, they are requested anew from the external internet
- Pages stored on a proxy server are being refreshed continuously to keep them up to date, they don’t get out of date
