A proxy server is augmented with the capability of taking transient possession of a received entity for purposes of serving consuming devices. This capability supplements destination forwarding and/or origin server transactions performed by the proxy server. This capability enables several entity transfer modes, including a rendezvous service, in which the proxy server can (if invoked by a client) fulfill a client's request with an entity that the proxy server receives from a producing device contemporaneous with (or shortly after) the request for that entity. It also enables server-to-server transfers with synchronous or asynchronous destination forwarding behavior. It also enables a mode in which clients can request different representations of entities, e.g., from either the near-channel (e.g., the version stored at the proxy server) or a far-channel (e.g., at origin server). The teachings hereof are compatible with, although not limited to, conventional HTTP messaging protocols, including GET, POST and PUT methods.