Web Proxy

What this chapter covers

This chapter covers the RouterOS web proxy, a service that fetches web pages on behalf of LAN clients.

A proxy sits between the clients and the web server. It can store copies of pages, so repeated requests are served from the router. It can also allow or block requests by site, path or method.

The chapter has one syllabus topic, basic configuration with the three rule lists and regular expressions. It is split over two pages.

How the topics fit together

The first page gets the proxy running, and the second page controls what the proxy does with each request.

• Basic setup enables the service, sets its port and the cache.
• Access list allows or denies requests.
• Direct access list decides whether a request goes straight out or through a parent proxy.
• Cache list decides which responses may be stored.
• Regular expressions let one rule match many hosts or paths.

How to use these pages

Each topic page has the same shape, so you can skim for what you need.

• What it is: the idea in plain words.
• How it works: the mechanism, with diagrams and example commands.
• What to remember for the exam: the facts to memorise.
• Common mistakes: the classic traps.
• Check yourself: three questions to test your understanding.

Practise with a browser pointed at the router. Add a deny rule for one site, then reload the page and watch the hit counter on the rule.

Counters in the rule lists show at once whether a request matched. If a counter stays at zero, the rule is wrong or an earlier rule took the request.

The proxy ties back to earlier chapters. Transparent redirection is a dstnat rule, and the proxy is a local service, so the input chain protects it.