The term "proxy" originates from the Latin word "procuratio," which denotes the act of managing another person's affairs. In its most general sense, a proxy is an agent or substitute authorized to act for another person or a function that allows one to represent or perform functions on behalf of another. This concept spans a variety of contexts, from legal frameworks where proxies can vote on behalf of someone in corporate settings to computer networks where servers act as proxies by relaying information between users and the internet.
In the legal and corporate worlds, a proxy often refers to the authority to vote shares on behalf of another during shareholder meetings. This is particularly critical during annual general meetings (AGMs) of large corporations where individual shareholders cannot attend but wish to influence decisions such as board elections or approval of corporate policies. Shareholders receive a "proxy statement," an official document that provides comprehensive details about the issues to be voted on. They can then assign their voting rights to another party – often the company's management, a practice known as proxyvoting. This system plays a fundamental role in corporate governance, ensuring that even absentee stakeholders can exercise their rights.
In the realm of computing, a proxy server acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers. A user connected to a proxy server requests a file, web page, or other resources available on a different server. The proxy provides the resource either by connecting to the specified server or by serving it from a cache. In some cases, proxies are used to filter requests, enhance security, or bypasscensorship, allowing users to access information that might be blocked in their country or network. Notably, proxies can also hide the real internet protocol (IP) address of the user, thereby providing anonymity while online.
The use of proxies extends into other areas, such as the internet of things (IoT) and access control systems. In IoT, proxies can facilitate the communication between devices that use different protocols or have incompatible functionalities. Similarly, in software development, the proxy pattern is a structural design pattern. A proxypattern is used to provide a surrogate or placeholder for another object to control access to it, useful in situations where objects need to be created on demand. Proxies, thus, are a versatile and ubiquitous tool across multiple domains, reflecting their broad utility in both digital and real-world applications.