Repeat after me - proxies are not used for security.

If you believe this, you are extremely uninformed at best. Proxies are routinely used for security in situations like this and are used to secure many of the apps that you use on the public internet today.

Thank you OP for creating this app! Please ignore any negativity from ignorant detractors.

I understand this take and the frustration it is born out of, however, extremes are rarely the right answer. If this were a series of posts, I would gladly read along and expect that the author would learn some valuable lessons from this approach.

Are certain things often needlessly complex? Sure. Does that come at a cost? Sure.

However as a business (or deployment) grows, it becomes subject to more requirements, regulations, risks, etc. that often demand the complexities that the industry and author have witnessed.

All business decisions are made through a lens. What is important today? Based on what I know today, what does the future hold? What constraints do I have? The key is a logical, but balanced decision.