A reverse proxy is distinct from a standard proxy server, which typically forwards requests from clients to the internet. Instead, a reverse proxy serves as an intermediary for servers, taking requests from clients and routing them to one or more backend servers. This setup enhances security, performs load balancing, provides SSL termination, and can cache content to improve response times. Reverse proxies can also serve as a means to ensure anonymity and privacy for backend servers, by hiding their real IP addresses from clients.