Understanding Reverse Proxy

What is a Reverse Proxy?

A reverse proxy sits between clients and backend servers, forwarding requests from clients to backend servers.

Client → Nginx (Reverse Proxy) → Backend Server

The client doesn't know about the actual backend server!

Why Use Reverse Proxy?

• Security - Hide real backend servers
• Load balancing - Distribute traffic
• Caching - Reduce backend load
• SSL termination - Centralized HTTPS
• Routing - Send to different backends
• Authentication - Centralized auth layer

Basic Setup

server {
    listen 80;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }
}

Now users access port 80, but traffic goes to port 3000!

Reverse proxy power!