What is the definition of proxy-aware

Question

I need clarification on the buzzword "Proxy-Aware". Does it mean that a proxy is sensed after the app attempts to directly perform a operation with a host? Or is it that after the creation of a proxy object (think .net WebProxy) and passing in proxy address, port, login etc.., the app knows how create and use the proxy connection to the server?

Answer 1

I think the word means if the application is able to establish connections to one or more proxy servers to reroute your connection attempt to target hosts through these proxy servers.

E.g. web browsers(proxy-aware) with proxy settings connects to the proxy server first and requests the proxy server to connect to your requested web page, but most terminal clients does not support proxy setting and can not perform such a process and thus are not proxy-aware.

Answer 2

After sifting through a few postings looking for a definition, I have come up with the definition for myself. "A proxy aware app is an app such that given a address (and/or creds) to a proxy as well as the destination address, the app will create the proxy connection and will manage the software side of the traffic between client, proxy connection and the destination." I conclude that a necessary condition to be a proxy-aware app is NOT the ability to sense a proxy but the ability to accept and manage the fact that there is an intermediate, addressable hop between client and destination.