Local port forwarding allows you to connect to other servers from a local computer that runs a Secure Shell (SSH) client. Connections from the local computer are forwarded to the SSH server and then reach the destination server.
Local port forwarding can work even if the firewall blocks certain web pages. Furthermore, it can help receive mail securely or connect to a website using an SSH tunnel.
In the meantime, remote port forwarding uses SSH but is suited for server-side communication with the client. Finally, dynamic port forwarding is a powerful but not popular type requiring manual configuration to secure data before forwarding.