A proxy server is a server that connects to the Internet and accesses sites on behalf of your computer. This section explains how ssl proxies servers work, their advantages, and how to set them up in Chrome and Internet Explorer.
What is a Proxy Server?
A proxy server is a server that connects to the Internet and accesses sites on behalf of a computer. Proxy servers are installed between the internal LAN and the external Internet to filter URLs and ensure anonymity. Proxy is an English word for proxy.
A company’s internal LAN is configured with a firewall to protect connected computers from malicious external access. However, in this state, Websites cannot be accessed from within the company, so a proxy server must be placed between the internal LAN and the external Internet.
How Proxy Servers Work
The proxy server is located between the internal LAN and the external Internet, outside the internal LAN, protected by a firewall called a DMZ (demilitarized zone or buffer zone).
When a client machine in the internal LAN wants to access an external Web server, it sends a request to a proxy server, which in turn sends the request to the external Web server. The reply sent from the external Web server is received by the proxy server, which then sends the reply to the client machine.
In other words, the proxy server behaves like an external Web server from the client machine’s point of view, and like a client machine from the external Web server’s point of view.
Advantages of Proxy Servers
Proxy servers have advantages in terms of website display and security in filtering.
- Caching speeds up the display
Proxy servers implement a caching function that caches the page information of a Website once accessed on an HDD or other storage device.
When a client machine sends a request to view the same Website, the proxy server uses the information stored in its cache to send the request back to the client machine, resulting in a faster display of the Website.
Such cache information is cached for all client machines connected to the proxy server and is retained for a while. Similar functionality is implemented in the browser on the client machine, but the cache capacity of the proxy server is much larger than that of the browser.
- Filtering for Increased Security
Proxy servers can perform filtering, such as prohibiting access to specific URLs. This can be achieved by having the proxy server located between the internal LAN and the external Internet, specifically for the following purposes
- Restrict access to the outside world by managing users through an authentication system
- Prohibit access to specific URLs
- Checking data received from outside the company
Checking data received from outside includes virus checking. Along with prohibiting Web access at the user and URL level, the filtering function can prevent attacks from outside and information leaks from inside the company, making the filtering function highly beneficial from a security perspective.
- Ensures anonymity
When a computer is connected to a Web server without going through a proxy server, private information such as IP addresses is transmitted to the server to which the computer is connected. At home, the ISP assigns a unique IP address each time you connect to the Internet, so the possibility of an attack from the outside is not so great.
When a proxy server is used, information on client machines connected to the internal LAN is not transmitted because the proxy server accesses the Web server. Although the proxy server’s own IP address and other information will be transmitted, the advantage is that internal anonymity can be secured.
How to Configure Proxy Server Settings
The following explains how to set up a proxy server for each browser.
Internet Explorer
Tools” menu > “Internet Options
Click on the “Connections” tab
Click on the “LAN Settings” button
Check “Use a proxy server for your LAN
Enter the address and port number of the proxy server
Click “OK
Chrome (Windows)
Go to the menu in the upper right corner of the screen > “Settings
Click on the “Advanced” link at the bottom of the window
System > Click on the “Open proxy settings on my computer” button
Turn on “Use a proxy server
Enter the address and port number of the proxy server
Click “Save”
Chrome (Mac)
The menu at the top right of the screen > “Settings
Click on the “Advanced” link at the bottom of the window
System > Click on the “Open computer proxy settings” button
Check the protocols you want to configure
Enter the address and port number of the proxy server
Click “OK”
Safari
General Settings menu in the upper right corner of the screen > Settings
Click on the “Advanced” icon
Proxy > Click the “Change Settings” button
Check the protocols you wish to configure
Enter the address and port number of the proxy server
Click “OK
Secure Web Access with a Proxy Server
Although we are not usually aware of proxy servers, you can see that they are indispensable to a company organization that does not allow the leakage of confidential or personal information.
Web browsing through a proxy server is disadvantageous in terms of speed because of the mechanism of going through a client machine in the company LAN and a Web server, but these problems are avoided with a large-capacity caching function, and it also has advantages in terms of security such as access restrictions by user and URL. It also has advantages in terms of security, such as access restrictions by user or URL.
Now that networks have become indispensable for business, it is important to optimally configure and safely operate proxy servers in order to protect your company’s systems.
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