What Is ProxyPass?
import TechArticleSchema from ”@/components/seo/TechArticleSchema.astro” import FAQSchema from ”@/components/seo/FAQSchema.astro”
<TechArticleSchema title=“What Is ProxyPass?” description=“ProxyPass is a directive used in Apache HTTP Server configuration that allows you to proxy requests to backend servers, enabling reverse proxy functionality, load balancing, and URL rewriting.” author=“Tetrate” datePublished={new Date(“2025-08-05”)} url=“https://tetrate.io/learn/what-is-proxypass/” categories={[“apache proxypass”, “reverse proxy”, “load balancing”, “http server”, “service mesh”]} proficiencyLevel=“Beginner” />
<FAQSchema faqs={[ { question: “What is ProxyPass in Apache?”, answer: “ProxyPass is a directive used in Apache HTTP Server configuration that allows you to proxy requests to backend servers. It enables reverse proxy functionality, load balancing, and URL rewriting by intercepting incoming HTTP requests and forwarding them to backend servers.” }, { question: “How do you use ProxyPass for reverse proxy configuration?”, answer: “To use ProxyPass for reverse proxy, you configure it with the path and backend server URL, for example: ProxyPass /app http://localhost:8080/ and ProxyPassReverse /app http://localhost:8080/. This proxies requests from your web server to application servers running on the specified port.” }, { question: “What are the benefits of using ProxyPass?”, answer: “ProxyPass provides several benefits: security by hiding backend server details, performance through load balancing and caching, flexibility with URL rewriting and routing capabilities, and scalability by making it easy to add or remove backend servers without changing client configurations.” }, { question: “How does ProxyPass compare to modern service mesh solutions?”, answer: “While ProxyPass is useful for traditional web applications, modern microservices architectures often use service mesh solutions like Istio for more advanced traffic management, security, and observability features. Service mesh provides capabilities like mutual TLS, sophisticated routing, and distributed tracing that go beyond what ProxyPass offers.” } ]} />
ProxyPass is a directive used in Apache HTTP Server configuration that allows you to proxy requests to backend servers. It’s a powerful feature that enables reverse proxy functionality, load balancing, and URL rewriting.
How ProxyPass Works
ProxyPass works by intercepting incoming HTTP requests and forwarding them to backend servers. The basic syntax is:
ProxyPass /path http://backend-server:port/Common Use Cases
1. Reverse Proxy
Proxy requests from your web server to application servers:
ProxyPass /app http://localhost:8080/
ProxyPassReverse /app http://localhost:8080/2. Load Balancing
Distribute traffic across multiple backend servers:
ProxyPass /api balancer://mycluster/
<Proxy balancer://mycluster>
BalancerMember http://server1:8080
BalancerMember http://server2:8080
</Proxy>3. SSL Termination
Handle SSL at the proxy level:
ProxyPass / https://backend-server/
ProxyPassReverse / https://backend-server/Benefits of Using ProxyPass
- Security: Hide backend server details
- Performance: Load balancing and caching
- Flexibility: URL rewriting and routing
- Scalability: Easy to add/remove backend servers
Comparison with Service Mesh
While ProxyPass is useful for traditional web applications, modern microservices architectures often use service mesh solutions like Istio for more advanced traffic management, security, and observability features.
