Securing Web Applications With MikroTik Router Reverse Proxy

If you're looking to redirect external proxy Mikrotik, there are a few things you'll need to know. First of all, there are two main ways to set up a Mikrotik proxy: transparent and non-transparent. While non-transparent might sound like something you'd want to stay away from, it can actually offer more control over your network and the proxy itself. Here's how to do it:

Setting Up a Non-Transparent Proxy

The first step in setting up a non-transparent proxy is to configure your Mikrotik router to redirect HTTP traffic to the proxy. This can be done by creating a new NAT rule:

Log into your Mikrotik router using Winbox.
Click on IP > Firewall in the left-hand menu.
Click on the NAT tab.
Click the + icon to create a new NAT rule.
Select chain=dstnat and protocol=tcp.
Enter the port number you want to redirect in the Dst. Port field (e.g. 80 for HTTP traffic).
Select in-interface=ether1 (or whatever your WAN interface is called) in the In. Interface field.
Select action=dst-nat and enter the IP address and port number of your proxy server in the To Addresses and To Ports fields.
Check the Enabled box and click OK to save the rule.

Next, you'll need to configure your proxy server to accept traffic from the Mikrotik router. This can usually be done by adding the Mikrotik router's IP address to a whitelist or access control list (ACL), depending on your proxy server software.

Setting Up a Transparent Proxy

If you prefer to use a transparent proxy, you can set it up by creating a new firewall rule on your Mikrotik router:

Log into your Mikrotik router using Winbox.
Click on IP > Firewall in the left-hand menu.
Click on the Filter Rules tab.
Click the + icon to create a new firewall rule.
Select chain=dstnat and protocol=tcp.
Enter the port number you want to redirect in the Dst. Port field (e.g. 80 for HTTP traffic).
Select in-interface=ether1 (or whatever your WAN interface is called) in the In. Interface field.
Select action=redirect and enter the port number of your proxy server in the To Ports field.
Check the Enabled box and click OK to save the rule.

Just like with the non-transparent proxy, you'll need to configure your proxy server to accept traffic from the Mikrotik router.

Troubleshooting

If you're having trouble getting your Mikrotik proxy to work, there are a few things you can try:

Make sure your firewall rules are configured correctly and that they're enabled.
Check your proxy server's logs for any errors or issues.
Try accessing a website using the IP address of your proxy server instead of the hostname (e.g. http://192.168.1.1 instead of http://proxy.example.com).
If you're using a non-transparent proxy, make sure your proxy server is configured to listen on the port you specified in your NAT rule.

By following these steps, you should be able to redirect external proxy Mikrotik and gain more control over your network and the traffic that flows through it.