What does a reverse proxy do when connecting users to a destination like Google.com?

A reverse proxy serves as an intermediary for client requests seeking resources from a server, such as Google.com. When a user connects to this destination through a reverse proxy, the user's requests are not sent directly to the destination server; instead, they are sent to the reverse proxy, which then forwards the requests to the appropriate server. This process effectively hides the user's identity from the end server since the server only sees the proxy's requests rather than the original user's requests.

This mechanism provides an additional layer of privacy and can protect users from direct exposure to the internet, enhancing their anonymity while browsing. Moreover, it can facilitate load balancing, caching, and other optimizations, but its primary function in this context is to mask the user's identity.

While other options mention important aspects related to web security and performance, they do not specifically address the primary function of a reverse proxy in obscuring user identities during connections to external servers.