Computer Science
Grade 12
20 min
Distributed System Architectures: Client-Server, Peer-to-Peer, and Cloud-Based
Explore different distributed system architectures, including client-server, peer-to-peer, and cloud-based architectures, and their trade-offs.
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Differentiate between Client-Server, Peer-to-Peer, and Cloud-Based architectures by identifying their core components and communication patterns.
Analyze the trade-offs of each architecture in terms of scalability, fault tolerance, cost, and complexity.
Identify the Single Point of Failure (SPOF) in a given Client-Server system diagram.
Design a basic system for a given problem (e.g., file sharing, instant messaging) and justify the choice of architecture.
Explain how cloud-based architectures leverage virtualization and resource pooling to provide elasticity and on-demand services.
Map real-world applications like web browsing, BitTorrent, and Google Docs to their corresponding distributed architecture.
Ever wonder how you can stream a 4K movie on Netfli...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Client-Server ArchitectureA centralized model where a powerful server provides resources or services to multiple, less powerful client computers. Clients initiate requests, and the server responds.When you visit a website, your web browser (the client) sends a request to the website's web server (the server), which then sends back the webpage's data.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) ArchitectureA decentralized model where all nodes (peers) are equal and can act as both a client and a server. Peers connect and share resources directly with each other without a central server.BitTorrent, where users download pieces of a file from many other users (peers) and simultaneously upload pieces they already have to others.
Cloud-Based ArchitectureAn architecture where applications...
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Core Syntax & Patterns
Centralization vs. Decentralization Trade-off
Centralized (Client-Server) systems offer easier management and control. Decentralized (P2P) systems offer better fault tolerance and scalability for certain workloads.
Use this principle when making the initial architectural choice. If you need strong authority, user authentication, and consistent data (like a bank), choose a centralized model. If you need resilience against censorship or server failure and can tolerate eventual consistency (like a file-sharing network), a decentralized model may be better.
Horizontal Scaling Pattern
Distribute load across multiple, often identical, machines. `Load = Σ(Workload_i) / N_machines`
This is the primary way cloud-based and large-scale client-server systems grow. Instead of buying a bi...
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Challenging
You are designing a video conferencing application. To optimize performance, you decide on a hybrid architecture. Which design choice best leverages the strengths of different architectures?
A.Use P2P for everything to maximize decentralization and reduce server costs.
B.Use a Client-Server model for everything to ensure maximum control and quality.
C.Use a Client-Server model for session setup, authentication, and chat, but use P2P connections for direct audio/video streaming between participants in small calls.
D.Use a cloud-based server to store recordings, but a single, central server to stream all live video feeds for all calls.
Challenging
In a Client-Server architecture, security is often managed by hardening the central server. What is a major security challenge in a P2P network that is less prevalent in the Client-Server model?
A.The high cost of SSL/TLS certificates for securing the central server.
B.The inability to use encryption in P2P networks.
C.The central server being a single point of failure for security breaches.
D.The difficulty of verifying the identity and trustworthiness of every peer, which can lead to the spread of malware or poisoned data.
Challenging
A company migrates its monolithic Client-Server application to a single, large virtual machine in the cloud ('lift and shift'). To best leverage cloud-native benefits like elasticity and fault tolerance, what architectural change is most crucial?
A.Increase the CPU and RAM of the single virtual machine.
B.Re-architect the application from a monolith into a set of smaller, independent microservices that can be scaled and deployed separately.
C.Switch from a cloud provider to a private data center for better control.
D.Rewrite the entire application in a different programming language.
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