[Term of the Day]: Proxy Server

Term of the Day

"Proxy Server"

Definition — What is a Proxy server?

One of the most interesting and prominent internet-related technologies is the Proxy Server. A proxy server is a computer/server on the web that redirects your web browsing activity. It provides various functionality, security, and privacy depending on your needs, or company policy.

How Does a Proxy Server Operate?

The proxy server acts as a mediator server isolating users from the sites they peruse. When users send a web request (through a browser like Chrome or Firefox) and the server which is serving users requests (IIS Web Server or Apache Tomcat etc), the request first goes to the proxy server then makes the web request on the user's behalf, collects the response from the webserver, and forwards the web page data so the user's can see the page in their browser.

In more precise, when users type in a website name (https://manageengine.com/products/service-desk/), the Internet request goes from the user's computer to his ISP as usual, but then gets sent to the proxy server, and then to the website/webserver. Along the way, the proxy uses the IP address which was predefined in the initial setup, masking the real IP address and protects privacy.

You can refer to the proxy settings article to configure the proxy in ServiceDesk Plus.