HTTP Proxy Servers and Proxying

In my overview of the HTTP operational model in Chapter 80, I described how HTTP was designed to support not just communication between a client and server, but also the inclusion of intermediaries that may sit in the communication path between them. One of the most important types of intermediary is a device called a proxy server, or more simply, just a proxy.

A proxy is a middleman that acts as both a client and a server. It accepts requests from a client as if it were a server, then forwards those requests (possibly modifying them) to the real server, which sees the proxy as a client. The server responds back to the proxy, which forwards the reply back to the client. Proxies can be either transparent, meaning ...

Get TCP/IP Guide now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.