Proxy Web Servers and Authentication > What are proxies?

Traditional reasons to use caching proxies

1. To reduce latency...
   Latency is the delay between when a client makes a request and the entire response is received. If clients on a LAN are using the services of a caching proxy server on the LAN, the caching proxy server will always be able to respond faster to requests for objects.
2. To reduce traffic...
   Since copies of an HTML page or a graphic are stored locally, any request for that item after the first one can be served using the proxy's store of files.

• Clarification:Browsers also have caches of files. Proxy caches refer to an entirely separate service.