The Client-Server Relationship
If you are have spent any length of time in the world of tech, you most probably have heard the terms “client” and “server”. The relationship between the two is fundamental in understanding much of how everyday applications, or websites, function. It’s with this model, that the computer science world bases all its projects. Today, I am going to run through the model and dive into its importance, including its advantages and disadvantages. Hopefully, you will leave here knowing more about the infamous client/server model.
The Server
To put simply, a server is just a computer. The real magic of a server lies within its role in providing data to other computers. Two ways a server may go about serving data to other computers is via a local area network, or wide area network, both over the internet. There are many types of servers that exist, all which carry out specific duties. A few of the popular ones may include, mail servers or web servers. The amazing thing about servers is that any computer can become one if given the specific software needed to operate, though it is important that the hardware is capable of handling what you may want the server to do.
The Client
On the flip side of this relationship, we have the client. The client, too, is a computer in and of itself. This computer acts as a client when it is retrieving data from the server. For instance, when you check your emails on your laptop, your laptop becomes the client that accesses the data from a mail server. This process is repeated for all types of computers when accessing information from servers. Therefore, your laptop, phone and even smart watch can act as a client!
The Relationship
Now that you have a better understanding of each part in this relationship, we can begin to dive deeper into its process. Just like many other relationships, each part serves a specific role. For instance, the server provides a function, or service, to one or many clients. These clients are initiating request for this service. This relationship is only possible when both roles are in effect.
The sending back and forth of messages between the two is known as a request-response messaging pattern. The client will send a request and the server must return a response.
This type of relationship is advantageous for many reasons. For one, all the data needed can be contained in one place, on the server. With this, it is far easier to protect your data and provide authorization. Additionally, the server does no even need to be located within close proximity of the client for the data to be accessed in an efficient manner. And finally, it is easy to upgrade the modes in the client server model because everything is independent of each other.
The few disadvantages to a model such as this would be the ability for a server to get easily overloaded if too many requests are coming in from clients. Also, if the server does fail, then no requests can be granted.
Conclusion
The client server relationship is a very important relationship in the world of technology and computer science. If you are beginning a career in software engineering, it is important to understand the client server model and recognize both its advantages and drawbacks. In conclusion, most everything every application or website that is developed is supported by this model. The client server relationship is an important foundation to many applications!