Difference Between Peer to Peer and Client Server Network

The main difference between peer to peer and client server network is that in peer to peer network, each node can request for services and provide services while in client server network, the client nodes requests for services and server node responds with services.

The devices in a network communicate with each other. Peer to peer and client server are two network types. In a client server network, multiple clients connect to a server. The clients require services, and the server provides required services. On the other hand, in a peer to peer network, there are no specific clients or servers. Instead, all the nodes can act as clients or servers. In other words, each node can request for services and provides services.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Peer to Peer Network
     – Definition, Functionality
2. What is Client Server Network
     – Definition, Functionality
3. Difference Between Peer to Peer and Client Server Network
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Client Server Network, Network, Peer To Peer Network

What is Peer to Peer Network

In a peer to peer network, there is no specific client or a server. A device can send and receive data directly with each other. Each node can either be a client or a server. It can request or provide services accordingly. A node is also called a peer.

Figure 1: Peer to Peer Network

In peer to peer network, a node joins the network and start providing services and request for services from other nodes. There are two methods to identify which node provides which service. A node registers the service it provides into a centralized lookup service. When any node requires obtaining a service, it checks the centralized lookup to find which node provides which facilities. Then, the service providing node and service requesting node communicate with each other. In the other method, a node that requires specific services can send a broadcast message to all other nodes requesting a service. Then, the node that has the required service responds to the requested node by providing the service.

There are multiple advantages in peer to peer network. It is easier to maintain. It is not necessary to have a specialized expert to maintain the network. The entire network does not depend on a single machine. Moreover, it does not require extensive hardware to set up the network. On the other hand, a peer to peer network is not very secure. It can also be difficult to maintain an organized file structure. Furthermore, the users need to manage their own backups.

What is a Client Server Network

In a client server network, there are clients and servers. A client can be a device or a program. It helps the end users to access the web. Some examples of clients are desktop, laptops, smartphones, web browsers, etc. A server is a device or a program that responds to the clients with the services. It provides files, databases, web pages, shared resources according to its type.

Figure 2: Client Server Network

In this network, a client requests services from the server. The server listens to the client requests and responds to them by providing the required service. The main advantage of a client server network is that it more secure as the server always manages the access and security. It is also easier to take backups. On the other hand, it is not very reliable as a failure in the server will affect the functioning of the clients. Furthermore, it is expensive to set up and maintain.

Difference Between Peer to Peer and Client Server Network

Definition

Peer to peer network is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads between peers. Client server network is a distributed application structure based on resource or service providers called servers and service requesters called clients. This constitutes the difference between peer to peer and client server network.

Functionality

Thus, the main difference between peer to peer and client server network is that, in peer to peer network, each node can request for services and provide services. Whereas, in client server network, the client requests for service and server responds with a service.

Network Type

Also, another difference between peer to peer and client server network is that the peer to peer network is a decentralized network while client server network is a centralized network.

Reliability

There are multiple service providing nodes in a peer to peer network. So, it is more reliable. In client server network, the clients depend on the server. Failure in the server will disrupt the functioning of all clients. This is an important difference between peer to peer and client server network.

Access time for services

Moreover, as the service providing nodes are distributed in the peer to peer network, the service requesting node does not need to wait long. On the other hand, in client server network, multiple clients requests for services from a server. Therefore, the access time for a service is higher.

Cost

While a client server network is expensive to implement, a peer to peer does not require extensive hardware to set up the network.

Security

A client server network is more stable and secure than a peer to peer network. This is also an another difference between peer to peer and client server network.

Conclusion

The difference between peer to peer and client server network is that in peer to peer network, each node can request for services and provide services while in client server network, the client nodes requests for services and server node responds with services.

Reference:

1. “Peer-to-Peer.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Aug. 2018, Available here.
2. “Client–Server Model.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Aug. 2018, Available here.
3. “The Client Server Model”, Clients and Servers, WebDev Cave, 20 May 2016, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “P2P-network” By User:Mauro Bieg – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “341420” (CC0) via Pixabay

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