Forward versus reverse#
| Forward proxy | Reverse proxy | |
|---|---|---|
| Who configures it | The client (browser, script, container) | The website's operator |
| Who it represents | The client | The origin servers |
| Typical examples | Proxy providers, corporate egress proxies | Load balancers, CDNs, API gateways |
| What the destination sees | The proxy's exit IP | Its own reverse proxy; the visitor never reaches the origin directly |
Why the distinction matters when buying#
When a provider says "proxy", it means forward. The questions that follow are about the exit: where the address is registered, whether it is shared, how long you keep it and how it is billed. Those are the differences between the four proxy types.
How it works at ProxShift#
All ProxShift products are forward proxies. The shared gateways accept HTTP(S) and SOCKS5; location and session behaviour are chosen in the username, not by changing the proxy host.
Questions people ask#
Can a forward proxy see my HTTPS traffic?
Not the content. For HTTPS the client asks the proxy to open a tunnel with CONNECT and then negotiates TLS directly with the website through it; the proxy sees only the destination host and the encrypted bytes.