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Difference between Client-Server and Peer-to-Peer Network
Both Client-Server and Peer-to-Peer networks transfer data from a source to a destination with minimal loss in transmission. Both these networks establish a communication channel through which data transmission takes place, however the channel remains dedicated in case of a Client-Server network, which is not the case with Peer-to-Peer networks.
Read through this article to find out how client-server networks differ from peer-to-peer networks.
What is a Client-Server Network?
The client-server paradigm is a network process communication structure that connects service requestors, clients, and providers. A network or the Internet is used to connect the client and the server.
The client-server approach, which also covers email and database access, is a crucial network computing concept. Web browsers, chat programs, and email software are just a few examples of clients.
The majority of processes are managed by a server, which also saves all the data. A client seeks data or functions that are specific to them. The server sends the client the results of the processing. Clients can undertake some processing, but they need server data resources to finish.
A disadvantage of the client-server approach is that too many client requests overload a server, causing it to malfunction or shut down completely. Hackers frequently use distributed denial-ofservice (DDoS) attacks to shut down specific administrative services.
What is a Peer-to-Peer Network?
A peer-to-peer (P2P) network is a collection of computers that serve as a node for file sharing inside a group. Rather than having a central server that serves as a shared drive, each computer serves as both a node and a server for its files exclusively.
When building a P2P network via the Internet, a central server can index the files, or a distributed network can be set up for file-sharing among all the users. A home network or an office network is the same thing.
When P2P networks are built through the Internet, however, the size of the network and the files available allow for the sharing of massive amounts of data.
Early P2P networks, such as Napster, used client software and a central server. Later networks, such as Kazaa and BitTorrent, did away with the central server and shared responsibilities among numerous nodes to conserve bandwidth.
Peer-to-peer networks are commonly associated with illegal file sharing and Internet piracy.
Difference between Client-Server and Peer-to-Peer Networks
The following table highlights the major differences between Client-Server and Peer-to-Peer Network.
| Key | Client-Server Network | Peer-to-Peer Network |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | In a client-server network,
clients and servers are
distinguished, and specific
servers and clients are
present. | There is no differentiation
between clients and servers
in a peer-to-peer network. |
| Path and
Node | In Client-Server network, a
dedicated path is
established between two
nodes (sender and
receiver) which is entirely
responsible for the data
transmission. | In case of Peer-to-Peer
networks, no such
dedicated path is
implemented. The path
consists of several nodes
between the sender and
receiver and each node is
responsible for transferring
the message from one node
to the next. |
| Message
storage | As there are only two
nodes in case of a Client-
Server Network, a
centralized server is used
to store the data in the path
or at the node end. The
Message generated at the
sender side gets
transmitted to the receiver
directly through the
centralized sever. | In case of Peer-to-Peer
networks, each node acts
as the sender and the
receiver and stores the
incoming information before
sending it to the next node.
This feature enables each
node in a peer-to-peer
network to recover the
information if it gets lost due
to any reason. |
| Resend | In a Client-Server network,
the nodes do not save the
data during the
transmission. If the data
gets lost due to some
reason, then the nodes do
not have any option to
resend the data until the
centralized server sends it
again. | In contrast, if a data packet
is lost in a peer-to-peer
network, then the
corresponding node can
resend the same, as it has
the ability to store data. |
| Cost | The client-server
architecture is costly to
implement. | Peer-to-peer networks are
less expensive to
implement. |
| Bandwidth | A Client-Server network
reserves the full bandwidth
in advance, as there are
only two nodes and a
dedicated path in between
for transmission. | A Peer-to-Peer network
does not reserve the entire
bandwidth in advance.
Rather, it consumes
bandwidth node per node
as per the requirement and
releases the bandwidth after
the transmission is
complete. |
| Addressing | Geographical addressing is
used in Client-Server
Network based on the geolocation
of both the nodes. | Hierarchical addressing is
implemented in case of
Peer-to-Peer networks, as
there is a hierarchical
connection between the
nodes. |
| Reliability | Client-Server architecture
is more reliable and
scalable. | The performance of peer-topeer
networks degrades
when the number of peers
in the system grows. |
Conclusion
To conclude, the peer-to-peer (P2P) paradigm is based on decentralized networking, while the client-server model is a type of networking that is centralized. The data in a client-server network is stored on a centralized server, whereas in a peer-to-peer network, each peer has its own set of data.
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