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How is cloud computing different from client-server?

Client server is a process where data processing is distributed between a client and a server. The best example of client/server is – emails and RDBMS based web applications. In simpler words, client server is a kind of application architecture whereas cloud computing is the way that defines how applications are hosted. Cloud is the latest technology that allows businesses to abstract software from the hardware, and scale up/down the applications as per the business demands.

"Cloud computing" is a blanket term meant to do two things: first, to abstract all possible uses of a client-server model behind a single term, as opposed to more specific use cases like "file servers", "database servers", "web servers", "application servers" etc.; and second, to abstract the server architecture itself, in terms of hardware, topology, location, and even ownership.

In a traditional client-server model, which is definitely still in common use today, a client connects to a server that performs a particular job. This server may host a database, or a series of file shares, or a web page. When the client connects to that server, there is an implicit understanding of the type of communication and data transmission that will ensue between the two computers. There may also be an understanding by the client, or the end user, of the capabilities of the server's hardware, and its limitations. This relatively "tight coupling" between the client machine and its server can pose problems for a sysadmin who needs to take down a server for maintenance; all the applications dependent upon resources provided by this server have to be pointed at another server, and not all applications and infrastructures are designed with this type of redundancy and fail over-tolerance in mind.

In a cloud server model, the hardware, topology, division of labor, and even number of actual machines involved is all abstracted behind a single endpoint. The analogy could be drawn to a modern "web application", as opposed to older generations of "website" which were more static. We might guess that there is an application server and a DB server behind the scenes, but we really don't have to care; the web server, as part of its job to serve the full application to users beyond the "edge", provides a unified endpoint allowing controlled access to all the data and services provided by other machines behind this front door.

When working on the client server, you will have to log on to the server after going through their set authentication process. While access to cloud computing does not involve manual inputs. Both of them provide storage to your sensitive information and necessary files. But when it comes to client server architecture vs cloud computing, then client server is the winner hands down.

When working on the client server, you will have to log on to the server after going through their set authentication process. While access to cloud computing does not involve manual inputs. Both of them provide storage to your sensitive information and necessary files. But when it comes to client server architecture vs cloud computing, then client server is the winner hands down.

Cloud computing vs client server - Client servers are mostly used in those architectures wherein control of the computer and its access is centrally located. Apart from access, user-credentials, operating system updates, application updates, etc. Are all centrally stored and administered.

Cloud computing is something similar to a network service model. Moreover, you are not responsible for maintaining the physical hardware. Cloud can be considered as a backend thing but applications still work in a cloud environment. The main difference is regarding the place where the data is stored. When it comes to client-server, your company stores its own data. In cloud computing, all your data is stored by the cloud service provider. The benefit is you do not have to worry about the maintenance and updates of the cloud. Or in short, client-server is a feature that is old while cloud computing is a budding technology.