A reverse proxy is mostly a server-side concept, and is usually used in the context of (CDNs) Content Distribution Networks for caching static HTTP content. A forward proxy is usually a client side concept used for anonymity, to subvert censorship, and as a web accelerator.
For example you have a single web server,and need to serve static HTML pages to your clients very quickly. However, you are running WordPress, Joomla, or some other dynamic content management system. Every time someone visits the homepage of your website, your server has to spend time regenerating the page for every user.
A reverse proxy server is a type of buy proxy server that typically sits behind the firewall in a private network and directs client requests to the appropriate back-end server. A reverse proxy provides an additional level of abstraction and control to ensure the smooth flow of network traffic between clients and servers.A server-side reverse proxy would be used in this context to cache static content, like images, CSS, and static HTML. You could even use multiple reverse proxy servers to balance the load. If you are willing to pay, CDNs can cache your site across multiple geographic locations. Another popular use of reverse proxies is for ‘transparent’ HTTPS. Rather than load and setup every webserver with an SSL certificate, single a reverse proxy can sit in front of all the webservers, to encrypt and serve to clients over HTTPS. Usually, transparent HTTPS reverse proxy servers have dedicated hardware for SSL acceleration.
A reverse proxy is a proxy configured to handle requests from a group of remote or arbitrary clients to a group of known resources under the control of the local Administrator. An example of this is a load balancer also known as Application Delivery Controller that provides application high availability and optimization to workloads such as Microsoft Lync, Exchange and SharePoint. The purpose of a reverse proxy is to manage the server systems.
Uses of a reverse proxy:
* Load Balancing
* Web Acceleration and
* Security and anonymity