proxy server - Webopedia Definition and Links

★ wanayoo — archive 1999 http://webopedia.internet.com/TERM/p/proxy_server.html

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proxy server

Last modified: July 16, 1999

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A server that sits between a client application, such as a Web browser, and a real server. It intercepts all requests to the real server to see if it can fulfill the requests itself. If not, it forwards the request to the real server.

Proxy servers have two main purposes:

Improve Performance: Proxy servers can dramatically improve performance for groups of users. This is because it saves the results of all requests for a certain amount of time. Consider the case where both user X and user Y access the World Wide Web through a proxy server. First user X requests a certain Web page, which we'll call Page 1. Sometime later, user Y requests the same page. Instead of forwarding the request to the Web server where Page 1 resides, which can be a time-consuming operation, the proxy server simply returns the Page 1 that it already fetched for user X. Since the proxy server is often on the same network as the user, this is a much faster operation. Real proxy servers support hundreds or thousands of users. The major online services such as Compuserve and America Online, for example, employ an array of proxy servers.

Filter Requests: Proxy servers can also be used to filter requests. For example, a company might use a proxy server to prevent its employees from accessing a specific set of Web sites.

ServerWatch Proxy Server Page
Offers in-depth news and reviews of proxy servers.

Caching Proxy Servers
Describes what a proxy server is and how it works. Includes some advantages and disadvantages as well as notes on implementation.

Microsoft Proxy Server page
Home page for Microsoft Proxy Server. Contains product details, including comparisons, news items, and a download link. Updated on Jun 23, 1998

Overview of Web Proxy Servers
Describes what a Web proxy server is, how they are used, and information about communication.

Proxy server overview
DataBus article on what proxy servers are and how they work.

Proxy Server Tools
Collection of downloadable proxy server tools from Winfiles.com.

Sharing Cable Modems
Good resource for information on sharing a cable modem connection with multiple computers. Contains clear, easy-to-follow instructions for both the PC and Mac, as well as other related resources. Updated on Jul 31, 1998

Squid proxy server
Contains information about Squid, a high-performance proxy caching server for web clients from the National Laboratory for Applied Network Research. The site contains overviews, documentation, FAQs, related resources, and a download link.

WinProxy Product Information
Home page for Ositis Software, developer of the WinProxy firewall proxy server.

World Wide Web Proxies
W3C document on the history of proxy servers.

Yahoo!'s proxy servers page
Yahoo!'s directory of proxy servers. Updated on Aug 2, 1998

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