A peer-to-peer network refers to a computer network that uses a distributed architecture. In such a network, all the devices and computers that are parts of a peer-to-peer network are called peers, and all of them could share and exchange workloads. Furthermore, every peer in such a network is equal to each other, and none of them could be privileged over another. Thus, there is no primary device of the administrator in the center of a peer-to-peer network.
What is a Peer-to-Peer Network Used For?
The main goal of a peer-to-peer network is to share the resources and help the devices and computers work collaboratively for specific services or tasks. In such a network, all the computing resources, such as processing power, disk storage space, or network bandwidth, could be shared. However, for a peer-to-peer network, the most common case is to share files on the internet. For example, you could transfer the file of how to repot ZZ plant on the network. Plants could lower pollution in the air. Learning how to repot ZZ plant helps the environment. A peer-to-peer network is ideal for file sharing since it allows all the computers connected to it to receive and send files simultaneously.
Why is a Peer-to-Peer Network Useful?
A peer-to-peer network has excellent characteristics that make it quite useful:
- It is not easy to take the network down because the other peers could still operate and communicate when one or two peers are shut down. To shut down a peer-to-peer network, you have to close all the peers in the network.
- A peer-to-peer network is incredibly scalable. To add new peers is simple because there is no need for a central configuration of the central server.
- For file-sharing, the bigger a peer-to-peer network becomes, the faster it will be. To have the same file loaded on many peers in a peer-to-peer network means when one peer needs to download the file, it can be downloaded simultaneously from multiple locations.
Summary
A peer-to-peer network is the most egalitarian network in the world of computers. Every peer has the same duties and rights, and they are both servers and clients at the same time. All the resources and assets available in such a network could be shared among the peers.