Definition of Reverse Hosting in Network Encyclopedia.
What is Reverse Hosting?
Reverse Hosting, also called virtual hosting, is an extension to reverse proxying that is supported by Microsoft Proxy Server. Using reverse hosting, the proxy server simulates virtual roots on a Web server and redirects requests for a particular domain and root combination to a single Web server.
This approach means that only one hole needs to be opened through the Proxy Server firewall to allow Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests to enter. Reverse proxying works as an application layer proxy service and supports HTTP only.
How is a reverse proxy different?
A reverse proxy is a server that sits in front of one or more web servers, intercepting requests from clients. This is different from a forward proxy, where the proxy sits in front of the clients. With a reverse proxy, when clients send requests to the origin server of a website, those requests are intercepted at the network edge by the reverse proxy server. The reverse proxy server will then send requests to and receive responses from the origin server.
The difference between a forward and reverse proxy is subtle but important. A simplified way to sum it up would be to say that a forward proxy sits in front of a client and ensures that no origin server ever communicates directly with that specific client. On the other hand, a reverse proxy sits in front of an origin server and ensures that no client ever communicates directly with that origin server.
