What is difference between web server and proxy server?

Answer 1

What is the difference between a packet filter and a proxy?

Preface

So you think you know what a proxy is? Well if you are familiar with the old Web Proxy servers please forget everything you thought you knew about proxies. We are talking about something very different. The old proxy servers took web requests from clients and checked to see if it had that page already cached, and if not, it would then redirect the client request to the internet, if the request was allowed. A linear flowchart would look something like:

• Client request for KnowtheNetwork.com -> Proxy checks cache -> Not found, forward request
• Client request for Google.com -> Proxy checks cache -> Cached page found, replies w/ cached page
• Client request for badwebsite.com -> Proxy checks cache -> Proxy denies the request based on policy

A modern day proxies are entirely different.

Answer 2

WebServers usually Have data. like every website you see is hosted on a computer like apache tomcat/ Apache HTTP Server.

Proxy Server can never give you content on its own. Usually they just act as an intermediate b/w you and the real web server.

Answer 3

A packet filter and a firewall perform the same basic function: they allow or deny packets of data through a network. However, they do differently. A packet filter is a first generation firewall, and is relatively featureless compared to current firewalls. These programs could only block configured ports, protocols (TCP/UDP), and IP addresses (and a few other basic headers).

By way of illustration, a packet filter configured to block Telnet (port 23) would not stop a Telnet connection on port 9999. This means that non-standard ports could be a way to bypass this simple feature. Often times, this led to virtually all ports being closed, with only a few rules being granted to allow access (e.g. port 80 for HTTP traffic).

Firewalls are more developed and refined, and can perform additional functions on top of a packet filter. A modern firewall can understand common Internet Protocols and modify or block their behavior based on the incoming packets (which may be pooled together and examined as a whole). For example, a firewall could block any website that had the words "sex", "drugs", or "rock and roll" anywhere in the contents of the page (not just the headers or even the URL). Or, it could be configured to allow access to chat rooms that are family friendly, but not adult oriented.

At the core of a firewall lies a packet filter, but it also includes so many more modules. The firewall is a natural progression of a packet filter.

Answer 4

A Packet filter firewall uses Filter hook driver for its basic working

Answer 5

a firewall & Proxy server both are the network components. but the firewall block ports & programs and the proxy server hide your netwok fo the internet.