← IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

What a proxy server is

A server between a user's device and the internet. It receives the user's web requests, passes them to the web server for the user, then returns the response. Used in schools and companies.

Part of: IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 5.3 Cyber Security — Module 41, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10 — Networked Systems and Access Control — Module 128, WA Computer Science ATAR Year 11 — Network Communications — Module 117

Understanding What a proxy server is in IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

What it does: The reply travels the same route in reverse: the web server sends it to the proxy, and the proxy then returns it to the user's device. Organisations place a proxy between all their devices and the internet, so every request goes through the proxy first. Schools and companies use proxy servers to handle the web requests of many users on their network. The proxy's role is to receive web requests and forward them on the user's behalf, not to be a file storage site.

Common mistakes: The proxy passes the request on to the web server, not back to the user. Line 2 should be: proxy SEND request TO server. A proxy server does not just keep the request. It passes the request on to the web server for the user. Line 3 should be: proxy PASS request TO server.

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 553–577) and word search (Modules 553–607).

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Learning
Duo
Where does a proxy server sit in a network?
Between the user's device and the internetInside the web server that hosts the website
Matches
User -> Web server -> Proxy
↓
The order is wrong. The user's request must go to the proxy first, not to the web server directly.
Applying
Meanings
Term
proxy server
Meaning
A server between a user's device and the internet. It receives the user's web requests, passes them to the web server for the user, then returns the response. Used in schools and companies.
Practice
User device -> Proxy server
Testing
Gaps
Device -> server -> Web server
Check Answer
Spots
1user SEND request TO proxy
2proxy SEND request TO user

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Quick Questions

1. Where does a proxy server sit in a network?
A. Between the user's device and the internet ✓
B. Inside the web server that hosts the website
A proxy server sits between the user's device and the internet, so web requests pass through it.
2. When a student opens a website through a proxy server, where does the request go first?
A. Straight to the web server
B. To the proxy server ✓
The request goes to the proxy first. The proxy then passes it on to the web server for the user.
3. Which statement describes what a proxy server does with a web request?
A. It passes the request on to the web server on the user's behalf ✓
B. It deletes the request and shows an error to the user
A proxy receives the user's web request and forwards it to the web server for the user.
4. How does the web server's response get back to the user when a proxy is used?
A. It returns through the proxy server ✓
B. It skips the proxy and goes straight to the device
The response comes back to the proxy first, and the proxy then returns it to the user's device.
5. Which place is a common use of a proxy server?
A. A single offline calculator
B. A school or company network ✓
Schools and companies use proxy servers to handle the web requests of many users on their network.

Match the Pairs

proxy server → A server that sits between a user's device and the internet and passes web requests on for the user
User -> Proxy -> Web server → The request goes to the proxy first, which then passes it on to the web server
The web server's response comes back to the user through the proxy server → Web server -> Proxy -> User
Schools and companies use a proxy server so all web requests from their computers pass through one server → School computers -> Proxy -> Internet
User -> Web server -> Proxy → The order is wrong. The user's request must go to the proxy first, not to the web server directly.
A proxy server is a website that stores a user's files → A proxy server is not a website for storing files. It is a server between the user and the internet that passes requests and responses on.

Key Term

proxy server
A server between a user's device and the internet. It receives the user's web requests, passes them to the web server for the user, then returns the response. Used in schools and companies.

Fill in the Blanks

1. Device -> proxy server -> Web server
Hint: Type the name of the server that receives the user's request first, before the web server.
2. Response: Web server -> proxy -> Device
Hint: Type the kind of server the response returns through before it reaches the user's device.
3. Proxy sits between device and the internet
Hint: Type the large public network that the proxy server connects the device to.
4. Device sends a request to the proxy first
Hint: Type the word for what a device sends to ask for a web page.
5. Proxies are used in schools and companies
Hint: Type the place, other than companies, where proxy servers are commonly used to manage web access.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A user SEND request TO proxy
B proxy SEND request TO user
C server SEND page TO proxy
D proxy SEND page TO user
Line B — The proxy passes the request on to the web server, not back to the user. Line 2 should be: proxy SEND request TO server.
Question 2
A request <- "www.bbc.co.uk"
B SEND request TO proxy
C proxy STORE request ONLY
D server SEND page TO proxy
Line C — A proxy server does not just keep the request. It passes the request on to the web server for the user. Line 3 should be: proxy PASS request TO server.
Question 3
A server SEND page TO proxy
B proxy RECEIVE page
C server SEND page TO user
D user DISPLAY page
Line C — The response returns through the proxy. The web server sends the page to the proxy, which then sends it to the user. Line 3 should be: proxy SEND page TO user.
Question 4
A device <- "student laptop"
B network <- "school"
C device SEND request TO server
D proxy SEND request TO server
Line C — In a school the request goes to the proxy server first, not straight to the web server. Line 3 should be: device SEND request TO proxy.
Question 5
A staff <- "company laptop"
B proxy <- "web server"
C staff SEND request TO proxy
Line B — A proxy server is not the web server. It sits in the middle between the user's device and the web server. Line 2 should describe it as a middle server.

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