What are centralized, decentralized, and distributed systems?

Centralized, decentralized, and distributed systems

A network can be described as a group of two or more computer systems that are connected and communicate through sharing files or other resources. The connection between these computers may be established through a wire medium, through a LAN or ethernet cable, or wirelessly, through a wifi modem.

Centralized network systems

A centralized network is a network where the nodes don’t directly communicate with each other. In this system, a single server handles the major part of the network’s processing system.

The central server owns all the resources. If any nodes want to gain access to any other resources, they get it via the central system.

Advantages of a centralized network

• The data sharing process is faster since the data is owned by a central source. It is much quicker for the requested data to reach the recipient.
• We have only one machine that has all the data. Therefore, centralized systems are easier to monitor and deploy, and only one machine needs to be updated.
• A centralized network is relatively affordable due to the limited number of servers.

Disadvantages of a centralized network

• It has a single point of failure. If the central system fails to operate or shuts down for any reason, the entire network goes down.
• It allows limited scalability.
• It has increased security risks due to one central system.

Decentralized network system

A decentralized network distributes workload among several servers without having a single central server to manage network activity. Each of these servers can act as an independent central server.

Advantages of a decentralized network

• Decentralization eliminates the single point of failure, as the load is now distributed amongst all the servers present on the network, meaning no single server possesses all the required resources.
• It is easily scalable.
• The decentralized network offers more privacy as information passes through different servers.

Disadvantages of a decentralized network

• The performance of the network decreases as the number of networks on the system increases.
• Data may be lost during transit.
• It is more expensive and difficult to deploy.
• It is difficult to maintain due to multiple servers.

Distributed network systems

In a distributed network system, the processing power is spread evenly across the network. This system can often seem similar to a decentralized system.

Advantages of a distributed network

• It has no single point of failure as the processing ability is split among individual nodes.
• It is more efficient in terms of scalability.
• It is more secure compared to a centralized system.

Disadvantages of a distributed network

• It is more difficult to maintain a network.
• Data may be lost during transit.

Difference between a decentralized and distributed network

In a distributed ledger, the workload is split up, unlike in a decentralized system where each node can act as a master server of its own—single processing point. In a decentralized system, multiple nodes can split the decision-making ability among themselves.