Reverse Proxy Server Testing via Backend Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Testing reverse proxy servers is challenging due to the lack of access for test clients to backend systems, making it difficult to assess whether responses accurately reflect content from internal network servers and determine if requests were correctly forwarded.
Innovation Solution
A backend proxy server test system that receives requests from a reverse proxy server under test, includes a copy of the request in the response, allowing the test client to compare and determine if the reverse proxy server is malfunctioning by matching the embedded request with the expected request.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a reverse proxy server is used to forward requests from external networks to internal servers, then the internal servers are protected and request forwarding is enabled, but test clients cannot access backend systems to verify request accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a backend test system as an intermediary between the reverse proxy server and the test client. This mediator receives requests from the reverse proxy server, processes them, and returns responses that include information about the original request, enabling indirect verification of request forwarding accuracy without direct test client access to the backend system.
Solution Approach 2:
The backend test system provides feedback to the test client by embedding information about the received request within the response. This feedback mechanism allows the test client to verify whether the reverse proxy server correctly forwarded requests by comparing the embedded request information with the original request, thus resolving the testing difficulty while maintaining system reliability.
2Measurement precision
If the test client directly accesses the backend system to verify requests, then testing accuracy is improved, but the proxy server's security function is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The backend test system serves as a dedicated intermediary that safely handles testing operations. It receives requests from the reverse proxy server through the normal proxy interface, processes them in a controlled environment, and returns verification information to the test client. This approach maintains the proxy server's security architecture while enabling accurate testing through the mediator's controlled access.
Solution Approach 2:
The backend test system creates a copy of the received request and embeds this copy within the response to the test client. This copying mechanism allows the test client to verify request forwarding accuracy by comparing the embedded request copy with the original request, achieving high testing accuracy without compromising the proxy server's security function since no direct access is required.
3Adaptability or versatility
If request verification mechanisms are added to the reverse proxy server, then testing capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the testing functionality from the reverse proxy server itself and places it in a separate backend test system. The reverse proxy server maintains its core forwarding function, while the backend test system handles all verification operations. This extraction reduces the complexity of the reverse proxy server while improving overall testing capability through the specialized test system.
Solution Approach 2:
The backend test system serves multiple functions: it acts as a backend service for the reverse proxy server, processes requests for verification, and provides testing capabilities for the test client. This multi-functionality approach improves testing capability without adding complexity to the reverse proxy server, as the backend test system consolidates multiple roles in a single component.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and associated processes for testing a reverse proxy server are disclosed. A backend proxy server test system can receive a request from a reverse proxy server under test. The request may be generated in response to a request from a test client to access a backend service. In responding to the received request, the backend proxy server test system can include a copy of the received request. Upon the test client receiving the response from the proxy server to the test client's request, the test client can extract the embedded copy of the received request that the reverse proxy server generated to determine whether it matches the request that a functioning reverse proxy server generates. Based, at least in part on the result of this comparison, the test client can determine whether the reverse proxy server is malfunctioning.