Basic Terminologies:

Load Balancer:
o Simple words load balancer is a network device that distributes traffic to other devices.
o A load balancer is a network device that distributing traffic to other network devices.
o Efficiently distributing incoming network traffic across a group of backend servers.
o Distributes client requests or network load efficiently across the multiple servers.
o A load balancer is a device that acts as a reverse proxy and distributes network traffic.
o In other words, clients connect to load balancer believing to connect to an actual server.
o Then, the load balancer contact the backend server providing the required resource.
o Load balancers are used to increase capacity concurrent users & reliability of applications.
o Solution responsible for distributing incoming HTTP requests across multiple servers.
o Hardware or software solution helps to move packets efficiently across multiple servers.
o Load balancers optimizes the use of network resources and prevents network overloads.
o Found in the network and transport layer (IP, TCP, FTP, UDP) and application layer (HTTP).
o The Load balancers are most commonly deployed when a site needs multiple servers.
o Because the volume of requests is too much for a single server to handle efficiently.
o Deploying multiple servers eliminates a single point of failure, making it more reliable.
o However, a load balancer performs advanced checks even at the application layer.
o It performs three interrelated functions; monitoring hosts, acting as proxy & load balancing.

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Proxy Server:
o The term ‘Proxy’ is a contraction that comes from the middle English word procuracy.
o Proxy meaning to act on behalf of another, sits between two entities & performs service.
o In networking and web traffic, proxy is a device or server that acts on behalf of other.
o It is serves as a mediator for requests from clients asking resources from other servers.
o There no direct communication occurs between the client and the destination server.
o Proxy Server takes the requests from a client, puts that client on hold for a moment.
o Makes the requests as if it is its own request out to the final destination servers.
o Proxy Servers are memory & disk intensive and single point of failure in the network.
o Proxy server or application-level gateway acts as a gateway between client & internet.
o Proxy server acts as an intermediary between your devices and the internet as a whole.
o A proxy server basically creates a gateway between you as client and the internet.

Forward Proxy:
o Takes origin connections from intranet clients & connect to servers outside on internet.
o Forward proxy takes requests from an internal LAN network & forwards them Internet.
o Sometimes, forward proxy may even serve the requesting client with cached information.
o When end user web requests are forwarded to a proxy before going out to the internet.
o And responses go back through the proxy and then back to the user for privacy & control.
o Main purpose of forward proxy server is to help users access the servers over the internet.
o Forward Proxy Server is the most popular proxy mode and it present in almost all networks.
o FP, which forward the request from the intranet clients (browser) to the internet servers.

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Reverse Proxy:
o A Proxy Server which takes requests from external clients (web browsers) or Internet.
o And forwards them to servers in an internal network is called as Reverse Proxy Server.
o Acts as a front-end server accept the requests and forward to Application servers web.
o Reverse proxy servers & load balancers are components in a client-server architecture.
o Both act as intermediaries in the communication between the clients and the servers.
o A reverse proxy accepts a request from a client, forwards it to a server that can fulfill it.
o And a reverse proxy returns the server’s response to the requested internet client back.
o With a reverse proxy the clients believe you are contacting the external server directly.
o In reality, contacting the reverse proxy server, that pretends to be the external server.
o The reverse proxy will then make another request to the real server on the client behalf.

Half Proxy:
With a Half-Proxy, a client will connect to the proxy and the proxy will establish the session with
the servers. The proxy will then respond back to the client with the information. After that
initial connection is set up, the rest of the traffic with go right through the proxy to the back-
end resources. The proxy may do things like L4 port switching, routing or NAT’ing but at this
point it is not doing anything intelligent other than passing traffic. Basically, the half-proxy sets
up a call and then the client and server does their thing. For protocols like streaming protocols,
you’ll have the initial set up but instead of going through the proxy for the rest of connections,
the server will bypass the proxy and go straight to the client. This is so don’t waste resources on
the proxy for something that can be done directly server to client.

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Full Proxy:
o Full proxy creates client connection along with separate server connection with little gap.
o Client connects to proxy on one end & proxy establishes separate, connection to the server.
o A full Proxy establishes separate connection, means this is bi-directionally on both sides.
o Maintains two separate connections, one between the proxy server device and the client.
o Another connection one between the proxy server device and the destination server.
o In Full proxy there is never any blending of connections from the client side to server side.
o Full proxy can manipulate, inspect, drop, do what need to traffic on both sides & directions.
o When clients make request from internet, terminate on reverse proxy sitting front of server.
o Reverse proxies are good for traditional load balancing, optimization and SSL offloading etc.
o Full proxies are named because of they completely proxy connections incoming & outgoing.

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TCP 3-Way Handshake:
o 3-Way Handshake is a process which is used in a TCP/IP network to make connection.
o It is 3-step process that requires both the client & server to exchange synchronization.
o And acknowledgment packets before the real data communication process starts.
o TCP is a connection-oriented protocol, connection needs to be established before.
o Connection needs to be established before two devices can communicate each other.
o TCP uses three-way handshake to negotiate sequence and acknowledgment fields.
o Allows to transfer multiple TCP socket connections in both directions at the same time.

Message Description
Syn Used to initiate and establish a connection. It also helps you to synchronize
sequence numbers between devices.
ACK Helps to confirm to the other side that it has received the SYN.
SYN-ACK SYN message from local device and ACK of the earlier packet.
FIN Used to terminate a connection.

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SSL and TLS:
o SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer & TLS stand for Transport Layer Security.
o Both the protocols provide security between web server and web browser.
o Both SSL & TLS are protocols, which serve the same purpose for web server.
o However, there are minor differences between SSL & Transport Layer Security.
o SSL offers two basic security services which Authentication and confidentiality.
o It provides secure connection between the web browser and the web server.
o Both the SSL and TLS provide encryption and authentication of data in motion.
o Common applications of such protocols are web browsing, VOIP & electronic mail.
o SSL was developed by Netscape in 1994 with intention to protect web transactions.
o Transport Layer Security is IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) standardization.
o Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and TLS both Protection of normal TCP/UDP connection.
o SSL/TLS can also be used for securing other protocols like FTP, SMTP and SNTP etc.
o TLS uses stronger encryption algorithms & has the ability to work on different ports.
o Secure Socket Layer works through using public and private key encryption on data.
o While the TLS has two layers of operations when its establishes the communication.
o First, one is Handshaking to authenticate server & second is actual message transfer.
o TLS Takes a little more time than the older SSL to establish connections and transfers.
o SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, was the original encryption protocol developed for HTTP.
o SSL was replaced by TLS, some time ago; SSL handshakes are now called TLS handshake.
o SSL is the combination of Handshake, Change Cipher Spec, Alert and Record Protocols.

Protocol Published Status

SSL 1.0 1994 Unpublished only for their internal testing
SSL 2.0 1995 Deprecated in 2011
SSL 3.0 1996 Deprecated in 2015
TLS 1.0 1999 Deprecation planned in 2020
TLS 1.1 2006 Deprecation planned in 2020
TLS 1.2 2008
TLS 1.3 2018

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Cookies:
o Messages that web servers pass to your web browser when you visit Internet sites.
o Cookie is a small bit of information that travels from a browser to the web server.
o Cookie is just one or more pieces of information stored as text strings on your machine.
o Cookie is more formally known as an HTTP cookie, web cookie, Internet or browser cookie.
o The purpose of the cookie is to help the website keep track of your visits and activity.
o Website also use cookies to keep a record of your most recent visit or to record login info.
o Your computer or PC browser stores each message in a small file, which is called cookie.txt.
o When you request another page from server, browser sends the cookie back to the server.
o These files typically contain information about your visit to the web page, info name etc.

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HTTP:
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is designed to enable communications between clients
and servers. HTTP works as a request-response protocol between a client and server. A client
(browser) sends an HTTP request to the server; then the server returns a response to the client.
The response contains status information about the request and may also contain requested
content. An HTTP request is the way internet communications platforms such as web browsers
ask for the information, they need to load a website. two of the most common HTTP methods
are ‘GET’ and ‘POST’; a ‘GET’ request expects information back in return (usually in the form of
a website), while a ‘POST’ request typically indicates that the client is submitting information to
the web server (such as form information, e.g. a submitted username and password).
HTTP headers contain text information stored in key-value pairs, and they are included in every
HTTP request and response. These headers communicate core information, such as what
browser the client is using what data is being requested.

HTTPS (Secure HTTP)

Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure or HTTPS is just like HTTP except it is used together with
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS). It provides a security layer on
top of the HTTP protocol which encrypts data, ensures the identity of both devices and makes
sure, that data has not been modified during transit. HTTPS is a standard that is highly used by
online banking and online shopping. When you use HTTPS, instead of the original http:// it uses
the https:// prefix. It also operates on port 443 instead of port 80.

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TCP and UDP:
TCP is the abbreviation of " Transmission Control Protocol" whereas UDP is the abbreviation of
"User Datagram Protocol". TCP and UDP are both the main protocols which are used during the
Transport layer of a TCP/IP Model. Both of these protocols are involved in the process of
transmission of data. While UDP is used in situations where the volume of data is large and
security of data is not of much significance, TCP is used in those situations where security of
data is one of the main issues. Both TCP and UDP are protocols used for sending bits of data
known as packets over the Internet. They both build on top of the Internet protocol. In other
words, whether you are sending a packet via TCP or UDP, that packet is sent to an IP address.
TCP and UDP are not the only protocols that work on top of IP. However, they are the most
widely used. The widely used term “TCP/IP” refers to TCP over IP.

TCP and UDP Ports:

As you know every computer or device on the Internet must have a unique number assigned to
it called the IP address. This IP address is used to recognize your particular computer out of the
millions of other computers connected to the Internet. When information is sent over the
Internet to your computer . It accepts that information by using TCP or UDP ports.
An easy way to understand ports is to imagine your IP address is a cable box and the ports are
the different channels on that cable box. The cable company knows how to send cable to your
cable box based upon a unique serial number associated with that box (IP Address), and then
you receive the individual shows on different channels (Ports).
Ports work the same way. You have an IP address, & then many ports on that IP address. You
can have a total of 65,535 TCP Ports and another 65,535 UDP ports. When a program on your
computer sends or receives data over the Internet it sends that data to an ip address and a
specific port on the remote computer and receives the data on a usually random port on its
own computer. If it uses the TCP protocol to send and receive the data, then it will connect &
bind itself to a TCP port. If it uses UDP protocol to send and receive data, it will use a UDP port.
<-------------------- 192.168.1.10 -------------------->
0 1 2 3 4 5 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 65531 65532 65533 65534 65535
IP address with Ports

Port Range Groups Description

0 to 1023 Well Known Port Numbers
1024 to 49151 Registered Ports
49152 to 65536 Dynamic or Private Ports or Public Ports

Port Number Usage Port Number Usage Port Number Usage

20 & 21 FTP 23 Telnet 443 HTTPS, SSL/TLS
22 SSH 25 SMTP 161 SNMP
53 DNS 80 HTTP 123 NTP

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