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PgBouncer, Pgpool-II and others: A proxy for PostgreSQL 🐘

2025-10-30


A PostgreSQL proxy or connection pooler is an intermediary application that sits between your client applications and one or more PostgreSQL servers. It speaks the PostgreSQL network protocol, which allows any standard client (for example, your web server or an application in Java/Python/Go) to connect to the proxy believing it is talking directly to a PostgreSQL server.

Unlike MySQL, where proxies are often used for read/write splitting (R/W split) or caching, in the PostgreSQL world the main task of a proxy is efficient connection management.

MySQL Proxy: A Database Intermediary 🛠️

2025-10-28

MySQL Proxy is a proxy application that sits between client applications (for example, your web server) and one or more MySQL servers. It uses the MySQL Network Protocol, which allows any standard MySQL-compatible client to connect to the proxy without changes, believing it is talking directly to a MySQL server.


How MySQL Proxy Works

In its basic configuration the proxy simply forwards requests from the client to the MySQL server and returns responses back.
However the key feature of MySQL Proxy and its counterparts is monitoring, analyzing, and modifying the passing traffic:

Case: Launching and Registering an MTProto Proxy in 5 Minutes Using Docker

2025-10-01


Problem

In some regions, access to Telegram may be unstable or completely blocked. Using public proxies or VPNs is not always convenient: they can be slow, overloaded, or also blocked.

Task

🚀 Create your own fast and reliable proxy, register it in Telegram to track statistics, and optionally make it public.


Solution Choice: Docker + Official MTProto Image

  • Why Docker? Docker allows you to run the proxy in an isolated container without installing unnecessary dependencies on the server. It’s clean, secure, and incredibly fast. The docker-compose.yml file describes the entire configuration in one place, making the launch and management process trivial.

032 | Proxy Servers in Action: Squid — A Caching Proxy for Traffic Optimization

2025-06-24

We’ve reached the final article in our proxy server series, and today’s topic is a true veteran and classic — Squid. This powerful proxy server has served for decades as a key tool for web traffic caching, significantly speeding up internet access and reducing network load.


What is Squid?

Squid is free, open-source software that functions as a caching proxy server for web traffic. It was specifically designed to optimize HTTP and HTTPS traffic, though it also supports FTP and Gopher protocols. Squid is primarily used as a forward proxy in corporate or academic networks but can also be configured as a reverse proxy to cache content from internal web servers.

031 | Proxy Servers in Action: 3proxy — A Compact and Multifunctional Proxy Server

2025-06-23

031 | Proxy Servers in Action: 3proxy — A Compact and Multifunctional Proxy Server 🤏⚙️

In our exploration of proxy servers, we’ve already looked at giants like Nginx and HAProxy, as well as the versatile SOCKS-focused Dante. Today, we turn our attention to 3proxy — a surprisingly compact yet incredibly multifunctional solution that could become your Swiss army knife in the world of proxying.


What is 3proxy?

3proxy is free, open-source software that, despite its small footprint (hence the “3”), is one of the most versatile proxy servers available. It is designed to run on various operating systems including Windows, Linux, macOS, and BSD. Its main strength is its ability to act as a proxy for a wide range of network protocols, often not supported in more specialized solutions.

030 | Proxy Servers in Action: Dante — a Versatile SOCKS Proxy Server

2025-06-22

We continue exploring the world of proxy servers. After looking into Nginx and HAProxy, which primarily handle HTTP and high-level load balancing, it’s time to look at Dante. This proxy server specializes in the SOCKS protocol, offering lower-level proxying for any TCP and UDP traffic.


What is Dante?

Dante is a free, open-source software designed to function as a SOCKS proxy server. Unlike HTTP proxies, which operate at the application layer (OSI Layer 7) and understand web traffic, SOCKS proxies work at the transport layer (OSI Layer 4). This means Dante can proxy virtually any network traffic, regardless of its contents, making it extremely versatile.

029 | Proxy Servers in Action: HAProxy — High-Performance Load Balancer

2025-06-21

029 | Proxy Servers in Action: HAProxy — High-Performance Load Balancer⚡️🔗

In our series of articles on proxy servers, we’ve already discussed Nginx, a versatile tool combining the roles of a web server and a reverse proxy. Today, we’ll take a look at HAProxy (High Availability Proxy) — a specialized solution focused on a single but extremely important task: high-performance load balancing and ensuring high availability.


What is HAProxy?

HAProxy is free, open-source software that acts as a load balancer and reverse proxy for both TCP and HTTP protocols. It is designed to handle very large volumes of simultaneous connections and is a key component for building highly available and scalable web applications and services. HAProxy is often used as the “brain” in front of a group of servers, distributing incoming traffic among them.

028 | Proxy Servers in Action: Nginx — A Powerful Reverse Proxy and Web Server

2025-06-20

In the previous article, we explored the general principles of proxy servers and their classification. Now it’s time to dive into specific solutions, and we’ll start with Nginx (pronounced “engine-x”) — one of the most popular and high-performance web servers and a powerful reverse proxy. Nginx plays a key role in modern web infrastructure, powering millions of websites worldwide.


What is Nginx?

Nginx is a free, open-source software that was originally developed as a web server to solve the C10k problem (handling a large number of simultaneous connections). Over time, its functionality has expanded significantly, and today Nginx is widely used as:

027 | Proxy Servers: Your Reliable Network Middleman — Why You Need Them and How They Work

2025-06-19

In today’s internet-driven world, where data constantly travels between millions of devices, it’s often not enough to establish a direct connection — you may need a “middleman.” That’s where a proxy server comes in. It acts as a bridge between you (the client) and the destination resource (server), handling network requests on your behalf. Understanding how proxies work is critical for network security, optimization, and access management.


What is a Proxy Server?

A proxy server (from the English proxy — representative, intermediary) is a server in a computer network that acts as an intermediary between a user (client) and other internet servers. All client requests go through the proxy first, which then forwards them to the destination server. Responses from the destination server also return to the proxy first before being sent back to the client.