Proxy Server

You may configure a Proxy Server on a VPS or Dedicated Server. This can be set up on the Proxy page in the DreamHost panel.

The Proxy Server feature is a reverse proxy using Apache mod_proxy.

mod_proxy forwards requests that Apache receives on to another running process through a specific port. You can only forward requests to daemons bound to all hosts, and only on ports above 8000.

A daemon process is a server process that listens for communication from remote clients. For example, the Apache Web server is a daemon that listens for TCP socket connections from Web browser client applications. Some servers, such as TeamSpeak or game servers, might also listen for UDP packets.

A DreamHost VPS (or Dedicated Server) account permits you to run daemon server processes. They are limited to the server resources (CPU/RAM) you pay for. This differs from a Shared Hosting plan, where these processes could adversely affect other users on the same server.

Daemon processes that bind to a port (on which they listen for incoming connections) are visible from the Internet. DreamHost does not employ any sort of firewall or port blocking on its network.

Enter the following values in the DreamHost panel:

1. Launch your daemon process, bound to a port between 8000 and 65535.
2. Visit the Proxy page.

   

3. Enter the following under Set Up A Proxy Server Port:
   • URL to set up Proxy under: the portion of your domain that will have the proxied service.

     The text field to the right of the domain will display /url/to/proxy/ when you load this page. Make sure to clear that text from the field, or enter a subdirectory of your site.

   • Port Number to Proxy: the port # you configured your app to use.
4. Click the Add Proxy Server... button.