Overview
On a DreamHost Virtual Private Server (VPS) or Dedicated Server, you may configure a Proxy Server. You can configure it on the Proxy page in the DreamHost panel.
Technical details
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.
Daemon processes
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.
Setting up a Proxy Server Port
Enter the following values in the DreamHost panel:
- Launch your daemon process, bound to a port between 8000 and 65535.
- Visit the Proxy page.
- Under "Set Up A Proxy Server Port"
- URL to set up Proxy under: Enter 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: Enter the port # you configured your app to use.
- URL to set up Proxy under: Enter the portion of your domain that will have the proxied service.
- Click the Add Proxy Server button.
