What device creates a network connection between an end user's client machine and a remote resource such as a web server?

• A. Web Application Firewall (WAF)
• B. Proxy Server
• C. Forward/Transparent Proxy (Outbound traffic)
• D. API Gateway

Answer: (B)

A proxy server acts as an intermediary between a client and a destination resource, creating the network path the client uses to reach that resource. When you configure or encounter a proxy, your client sends its request to the proxy, and the proxy then opens a connection to the remote web server, fetches the content, and returns it to you. This setup is exactly what creates the network link between the end user’s machine and the remote resource, with the proxy handling the forward path and the data flow in both directions.

A web application firewall is focused on inspecting and filtering traffic to protect applications; it may sit in front of a server, but its primary role isn’t to establish the connection between client and server. A forward or transparent proxy describes the proxy’s usage pattern for outbound traffic, which is a specific type of proxy behavior rather than the general device name. An API gateway manages programmatic API calls and is aimed at API management rather than general web traffic between a client and a web server.