A proxy acts as an intermediary between a client and a server, it’s very often used for filtering, caching, and logging web requests.
- Types
Forward Proxy – Used by clients to access the internet, it hides the client’s IP address. E.g. Filtering employee internet traffic.
Reverse Proxy – Used by servers to manage requests from clients, it hides the server’s IP address. E.g. Distribute traffic among several servers for load balancing.
A gateway connects different networks and translates protocols between them, it enables communication between different network architectures and protocols.
- Types
Network Gateway – Connects different network types. E.g. A home router connects the home network to the internet.
Application Gateway – Manages communication between different application protocols. E.g. Twitch uses an application gateway to translate user requests (HTTP/HTTPS) for browsing streams and user interactions, and also to translate RTMP to HLS for live video streaming.
Email Gateway – Filters and scans incoming and outgoing emails for spam and malware. E.g. An organization’s email system scans incoming and outgoing emails for spam and malware.
