What is a Reverse Proxy Server?

A proxy server is a go‑between or intermediary server that forwards content requests from multiple clients to different servers across the Internet.

A reverse proxy server is a type of proxy server that typically sits behind the firewall in a private network and directs client requests to the appropriate back-end server. A reverse proxy provides an additional level of abstraction and control to ensure the smooth flow of network traffic between clients and servers.

Typical uses of a reverse proxy server include load balancing, web acceleration, security, and anonymity.

FireDaemon Fusion Configuration

FireDaemon Fusion is designed and developed so that it can be used together with a reverse proxy server. No configuration is required on the FireDaemon Fusion server instance. All settings are offloaded to the web server that is being used as a reverse proxy.

To let FireDaemon Fusion know it is being used from behind a reverse proxy, send an arbitrary “virtual stem” (i.e. a prefix location) via the custom HTTP header com.firedaemon.fusion-vstem. By doing this, FireDaemon Fusion knows it should prefix URLs in its HTTP response headers and HTML content responses with the specified custom virtual path segment.

Specific details must be considered when configuring the reverse proxy server - please refer to your web server’s documentation. For further information and a complete configuration example using Nginx web server, please see this article in the FireDaemon Knowledgebase.