forward proxy
also: HTTP proxy, web proxy, application-level gateway
A forward proxy is a server that sits between clients and external servers, intercepting client requests and forwarding them on behalf of the client. It acts as a middleman to relay traffic from inside a network to the outside world.
A forward proxy receives requests from client machines on an internal network and forwards those requests to external servers on the internet (or other networks). The external server responds to the proxy, which then sends the response back to the original client. This allows the proxy to filter, log, cache, and control outbound traffic.
Common use cases include: enforcing content policies (blocking malicious sites), caching frequently accessed resources to improve performance, anonymizing internal client IP addresses, and monitoring employee internet usage in corporate environments.
Example: A corporate network configures all employee browsers to use a forward proxy at proxy.company.local:8080. When an employee requests https://example.com, their browser connects to the proxy first, the proxy connects to example.com, retrieves the content, and returns it to the employee's browser.