Peer-to-Peer and Client-Server Architecture

This chapter explores two fundamental architectural patterns for organizing and structuring communication systems: peer-to-peer (P2P) and client-server architectures. These architectural patterns have significantly impacted the way we design and implement various modern network systems.

This chapter provides a comprehensive understanding of the P2P and client-server architectures, in terms of their principles, characteristics, and applications. Afterward, we will compare and identify the crucial differences between these two approaches and analyze their respective strengths and limitations.

We will cover the trade-offs and pros and cons of the P2P and client-server architectures. More importantly, we will discuss factors to consider when deciding between these two models, with the desired system quality attributes such as scalability, fault tolerance, security, and control. We will also explore the possibility of a hybrid model for...