The term identifies a network component facilitating communication between systems. This component likely acts as an intermediary, managing and routing requests between internal networks and external resources. For instance, a device within a private network might use this intermediary to access websites or other services on the internet.
Such a component offers several advantages, including enhanced security through traffic inspection and control, improved performance via caching and load balancing, and simplified network management by centralizing access control. Historically, these components have evolved from simple forwarding mechanisms to sophisticated platforms offering a range of features crucial for modern network infrastructure.
