What is a proxy server?
Q: What is a proxy server?
A: A proxy server is a computer which clients use to access other computers. It acts as an intermediary between the client and the remote server, passing information back and forth without changing it.
Q: What is a gateway or tunneling proxy?
A: A gateway or tunneling proxy is a type of proxy server that passes information to its clients without changing it.
Q: How does a proxy server work?
A: When a client connects to the proxy server, they will ask for some service such as a file, connection, web page, or other resource that is available on another server. The proxy then goes to the other server and requests what the client wants for them.
Q: What can proxies do with information?
A: Proxies can change the information that they give to their clients, and if the same information is accessed multiple times by different clients they can use caching in order to make things faster. Caching involves saving previously accessed data for future use so that if the same data needs to be accessed again it doesn't need to be requested from another server.
Q: Where can proxies be placed in relation to clients and servers?
A: Proxies can be placed anywhere in between the client and the remote server including software on either computer itself or any computer in between them both.
Q: What security measures are used by some proxies?
A: Some proxies may use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) in order secure connections between clients and remote servers so that no other computers are able read or understand what's being asked from one another.
