GlossaryNetworkingBeginner

Forward Proxy

A forward proxy sits between clients and the internet, forwarding their outbound requests so the destination sees the proxy's IP instead of the client's.

Last updated May 28, 2026

Definition

A forward proxy (often just called a 'proxy') sits between a group of clients and the internet. It forwards outbound requests on the clients' behalf, so the destination server sees the proxy's IP rather than the real client. Most proxies used for scraping, privacy and geo-access — residential, datacenter and mobile — are forward proxies.

Forward vs reverse

A forward proxy represents the client side; a reverse proxy represents the server side. Forward proxies are about controlling and masking outbound traffic; reverse proxies are about managing inbound traffic to servers.

Examples

1

A company routing employee web traffic through a forward proxy for filtering

2

A scraper sending requests through a residential forward proxy to mask its IP

Common Use Cases

Masking client IP addresses
Bypassing geo-restrictions and filters
Network-level caching and content control
Web scraping and automation

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The proxies used for scraping, privacy and geo-access are forward proxies — they forward client requests out to the internet.
Not inherently. It masks your IP, but for encryption you need HTTPS, TLS or a VPN.

Keep Learning

All terms

Reverse Proxy

A reverse proxy sits in front of one or more servers and forwards client requests to them, handling load balancing, caching, TLS termination and security on the servers' behalf.

Read definition

Datacenter Proxy

A datacenter proxy is an IP address hosted on servers in a data center rather than assigned by an ISP — offering high speed and low cost, but easier for websites to detect.

Read definition

HTTP Proxy

An HTTP proxy is an intermediary server that forwards web (HTTP/HTTPS) requests on your behalf, able to read, cache and filter traffic at the application layer.

Read definition
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