Difference Between Firewall and Proxy Server

Firewal vs Proxy Server

Firewalls and proxy servers are two technologies that are very common when we talk about the internet. Both serve very similar roles as gateways for packets to pass through to get to its destination. Despite this, there is one fundamental difference between a firewall and a proxy server. The primary purpose of a firewall is to prevent unauthorized people from establishing a connection and gaining access to your network. In contrast, a proxy server’s main purpose is to act as a relay in order to facilitate the connection between two points.

Actually, proxy servers can also as firewalls when programmed to do so. They can inspect the packets that are being sent and received, then discard or allow them to pass through depending on the rules that have been established.

Due to its function, it is typical to see a firewall as a chokepoint between a local network and a public network like the internet. Outgoing traffic is allowed while unsolicited incoming traffic is typically blocked. You can also find proxy servers in this setup. But, it is also not uncommon to see proxy servers that have the internet on both sides. These are called open proxies. Doing the same with a firewall would defeat its purpose as it can be easily circumvented via another route.

As already stated above, a firewall serves as a filter to screen out possibly malicious connection request in order to protect the internal network from the public network or the internet. Although proxy servers have a lot of uses, the most common nowadays is to provide anonymity to internet users. As the proxy server is the one that actually contacts the site that the user wants to visit, his IP address and other identifiable credentials are not revealed. It is also common for people to use proxy servers in order browse web sites that are forbidden in their network. If your administrator has disallowed viewing sites like Facebook, using a proxy server would let you circumvent that rule as you are using an indirect route.

Summary:

1.A Firewall blocks connections while a proxy server facilitates connections
2.A proxy server can also act as a firewall
3.Firewalls often exist as an interface between a public and private network while proxies can also exist with public networks on both sides
4.A firewall is used to protect an internal network against attacks while a proxy server is used for anonymity and to bypass restrictions

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