Glossary

What is reverse proxy?

Last updated June 15, 2026
Reviewed by Better-PaaS team

A server that receives web traffic and forwards it to the right app. Learn what reverse proxy means in self-hosted deployment and Better-PaaS workflows.

Overview

A server that receives web traffic and forwards it to the right app.

Definition

A server that receives web traffic and forwards it to the right app.

Real-world example

Requests to app.example.com hit Caddy on port 443; Caddy forwards to container port 3000 where Next.js listens, while blog.example.com routes to a different container.

Common mistake

Pointing DNS at the app container port directly (3000) instead of the proxy (80/443), which breaks HTTPS automation.

Better-PaaS in practice

Caddy is the default reverse proxy. When you attach a domain in the dashboard, routing and certificate issuance are configured for that app.

FAQ

Is reverse proxy only relevant to Better-PaaS?

No. reverse proxy appears across Docker, cloud platforms, and self-hosted tooling. Better-PaaS exposes the concept in deploy logs, dashboard fields, or docs when it affects your app.