What is a proxy server?
A proxy server is a computer that sits between a client and a server to intercept requests. There are several uses of a proxy server, but the most common is to speed network traffic by caching pages or files that are requested often. By doing so, the proxy server can deliver the request quickly, only polling the server when required. In this way, a proxy server not only speeds up network traffic, but also relieves server load. Major Internet hubs and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) employ dozens of proxy servers. Filtering or censorship is another use for a proxy server. A company that provides Internet connectivity to its employees might configure a proxy server to block requests for certain websites. It can also filter content based on configurable criteria to help enforce acceptable use policies. If a proxy server does not require a Web browser to be configured to use the proxy, it’s called a transparent proxy server. Otherwise, the Web browser must point to the proxy in order to
A proxy server, also known as a “proxy” or “application level gateway”, is a computer that acts as a gateway between a local network (e.g., all the computers at one company or in one building) and a larger-scale network such as the Internet. Proxy servers provide increased performance and security. In some cases, they monitor employees’ use of outside resources. A proxy server works by intercepting connections between sender and receiver. All incoming data enters through one port and is forwarded to the rest of the network via another port. By blocking direct access between two networks, proxy servers make it much more difficult for hackers to get internal addresses and details of a private network. Some proxy servers are a group of applications or servers that block common Internet services. For example, an HTTP proxy intercepts web access, and an SMTP proxy intercepts email. A proxy server uses a network addressing scheme to present one organization-wide IP address to the Internet. T
: proxy servers are specialized web servers that allow web browsers to receive web pages from web servers without communicating with them directly. Proxy servers are often used to provide more secure web access in organizations; the proxy server is allowed to connect to the Internet, but the individual web browsers are only allowed to “talk” to the proxy server. When there are many users sharing a single proxy server, the proxy server can also speed up web browsing by caching popular pages. The HTTP protocol used by web browsers and web servers contains provisions for proxy servers. In addition, most major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) now run “transparent” proxy servers without your browser being directly aware of it. This is done by intercepting Internet packets that are recognized to be part of the HTTP protocol and silently redirecting them to the proxy server rather than sending them directly to the intended web server. When an ISP such as America Online has many customers, th
A proxy server is a computer that offers a computer network service to allow clients to make indirect network connections to other network services. A client connects to the proxy server, then requests a connection, file, or other resource available on a different server. The proxy provides the resource either by connecting to the specified server or by serving it from a cache. In some cases, the proxy may alter the client’s request or the server’s response for various purposes. Web proxies A common proxy application is a caching Web proxy. This provides a nearby cache of Web pages and files available on remote Web servers, allowing local network clients to access them more quickly or reliably. When it receives a request for a Web resource (specified by a URL), a caching proxy looks for the resulting URL in its local cache. If found, it returns the document immediately. Otherwise it fetches it from the remote server, returns it to the requester and saves a copy in the cache. The cache
A proxy server forwards requests between a web browser and the requested website. When requests for restricted resources access the BOL proxy server, it will appear to originate from the UCLA campus. The BOL proxy server currently provides access to IP restricted websites. Access to some of UCLA’s Web content is restricted solely to UCLA IP addresses because of licensing and/or copyright agreements such as California Digital Library content and UCLA Library electronic journals. To use these services you must access them from a computer with a UCLA IP address. Users who are utilizing other Internet Service Providers (ISP) to remotely access restricted content do not have a UCLA IP address and are therefore denied access, unless a proxy server is used to reach the restricted content. Currently, the BOL proxy server is open to all students, faculty, and staff members that have a eligible UCLA Logon ID. The proxy server will require you to provide your UCLA Logon ID and password before all
