Forward proxy vs. reverse proxy

(1). The concept of a forward proxy
Forward agent, that is, the legendary agent, he works like a springboard, simply said, I am a user, I can not access a website, but I have access to a proxy server, the proxy server, he can access the site I can not access, so I first connected to the proxy server, Tell him I need the content of the inaccessible site, the proxy server to fetch it back, and then return it to me. From the point of view of the site, only in the proxy server to fetch the content when there is a record, sometimes do not know the user's request, but also hide the user's information, depending on the agent does not tell the site.

The conclusion is that the forward proxy is a server between the client and the origin server, in order to get the content from the original server, the client sends a request to the agent and specifies the target (the original server), then the agent forwards the request to the original server and returns the obtained content to the client. The client must make some special settings to use the forward proxy.
(2). The concept of reverse proxy

Continue with examples:
Example user accesses Http://www.test.com/readme, but there is no Readme page on www.test.com, he is secretly taken back from another server, and then returned as his own content to the user, but the user does not know. The www.test.com mentioned here has the reverse proxy function set for the server that corresponds to this domain name.

The conclusion is that the reverse proxy is just the opposite, it is like the original server for the client, and the client does not need to make any special settings. The client sends a normal request to the content in the reverse proxy's namespace (name-space), and then the reverse proxy determines where (the originating server) forwards the request and returns the obtained content to the client, as if the content had been its own.
(3). Difference between the two

From the use to say:

A typical use of a forward proxy is to provide access to the Internet for LAN clients within the firewall. Forward proxies can also use buffering features to reduce network usage. A typical use of a reverse proxy is to provide the server behind the firewall to Internet users for access. The reverse proxy can also provide load balancing for multiple servers in the backend, or provide buffering services for servers with slower back-end. In addition, the reverse proxy can enable advanced URL policies and management techniques so that Web pages that are in different Web server systems exist simultaneously in the same URL space.

From a security standpoint:

A forward proxy allows a client to access any Web site through it and hides the client itself, so you must take security measures to ensure that only authorized clients are serviced. The reverse proxy is transparent to the outside, and the visitor does not know that he is visiting an agent.

Forward proxy vs. reverse proxy