Types of Proxies in Java

Java proxies usually fall into three practical categories.

    flowchart TD
	    A["Proxy"] --> B["Virtual proxy"]
	    A --> C["Protection proxy"]
	    A --> D["Remote proxy"]
	    B --> E["Delay expensive creation or loading"]
	    C --> F["Authorize or deny access"]
	    D --> G["Represent a remote service locally"]

Virtual Proxy

Use it when the real object is expensive and should only be created when needed.

Examples:

• lazy image or document loading
• expensive repository initialization
• deferred connection setup

Protection Proxy

Use it when callers should see the same contract but not all have the same access rights.

Examples:

• role-based access to documents
• write restrictions around administrative operations
• tenant-aware access checks

Remote Proxy

Use it when the real object lives on another machine or process and the local code should interact with a stand-in.

Examples:

• RPC or HTTP client wrappers
• generated service stubs
• client-side proxies for distributed APIs

Review Rule

Name the proxy by its access concern. If you cannot say what the proxy is controlling, it is probably just an undisciplined wrapper.