---
title: "Reverse Proxy"
description: "A reverse proxy sits in front of your application and receives client traffic. Learn its role in SSL termination, load balancing, caching and security."
url: "https://nodea.io/en/glossary/reverse-proxy"
lang: "en"
updated: "2026-07-13"
---

# Reverse Proxy

> A reverse proxy is an intermediary server that sits in front of one or more application servers and accepts requests from internet clients on their behalf.

A **reverse proxy** is an intermediary server that sits in front of one or more application servers and accepts requests from internet clients on their behalf. To the user, the reverse proxy is the only visible entry point — it is what they connect to, while whatever happens deeper in the infrastructure stays hidden. As a result, the backend is insulated from direct contact with the public network.

## How a reverse proxy works

A client sends a request to the address where the reverse proxy is listening. The proxy inspects the request and forwards it to the appropriate backend (upstream) server, then receives the response and returns it to the client. Along the way it can perform several jobs:

- **SSL termination** — decrypting [HTTPS](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ssl) traffic in one place, offloading the application servers,
- **load balancing** — distributing requests across multiple instances (the [load balancer](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/load-balancer) function),
- **caching** — serving responses from [cache](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/cache-and-microcaching) without touching the backend,
- **compression and optimisation** of headers and content,
- **protection** — hiding the topology and filtering malicious requests.

The most popular software for this role includes [nginx](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/nginx), HAProxy, Apache and Traefik.

## Reverse proxies in practice

Reverse proxies are nearly ubiquitous in modern web architecture. They let you host many applications on a single IP address (routing by domain name), manage certificates centrally, expose containerised services securely, and roll out deployments with zero downtime. In practice you place a reverse-proxy layer in front of the application to terminate HTTPS and spread traffic across backend nodes — a common part of running an app on a [VPS server](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/vps). A [CDN](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/cdn) also acts as a reverse proxy, serving as a global caching layer in front of the origin server.

### How is a reverse proxy different from a regular proxy?

A regular (forward) proxy sits on the client side and relays the client's requests to the internet, hiding the client. A reverse proxy sits on the server side and relays requests aimed at your application, hiding the backend infrastructure from users.

### Is a reverse proxy the same as a load balancer?

Not exactly. Load balancing is one function a reverse proxy can perform — distributing traffic across servers. A reverse proxy typically does more: it terminates SSL, caches content, compresses responses and filters requests.

## Related

- [Nginx](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/nginx)
- [Load balancer](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/load-balancer)
- [CDN (Content Delivery Network)](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/cdn)
- [SSL](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/ssl)
- [Cache and microcaching](https://nodea.io/en/glossary/cache-and-microcaching)

---

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