Forward proxy server

Introduction

In computer networks, A proxy server is a server ( A computer system or an application ) that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers. A client connects to the proxy server, requesting some service, such as a file, connection, web page, or other resource available from a different server and the proxy server evaluates the request as a way to simplify and control its complexity.

Proxies were invented to add structure and encapsulation to distributed systems. Today, most proxies are web proxies, facilitating access to content on the World Wide Web and providing anonymity.

illustration

What Bob thinks is the server ( i.e the proxy ) asked for the current time, But what Bob didn't know was, Alice asked for the current time but through the proxy server. The proxy server returns the current time to Alice. So we can basically say, Server Bob has been tricked. The proxy server acts as a man in the middle serving two people without revealing their identities to each other, Each person sees only the proxy but not the other end.

Uses:

Filtering of encrypted data
Bypassing filters and censorship
Logging and eavesdropping
Improving performance
Security
Cross-domain resources
Translation
Anonymity

Run

Bare Metal

python3 src/server.py --max_conn=10 --buffer_size=8192

Container

docker run -p 8000:5000 -it python-proxy-server

Screenshot

Deployment

Can be deployed on Heroku using official Python buildpack and QuotaGuard Static add-on for a static runtime environment.

Setup and Testing

If running the proxy on your local machine with the above example, point your proxy to; localhost 8000

Test access to a HTTP only webpage such as; http://neverssl.com

NB: This proxy only works with HTTP connections, HTTPS will not work.