Computer Science

Distributed System, explained

A distributed system is a collection of independent computers that coordinate to act like one system.
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Part of the Semantic Notion technical glossary.

Short Definition

A distributed system is a collection of independent computers that coordinate to act like one system.

Intuition

Work is spread across machines, so the system must handle communication delays, partial failures, and disagreement.

Technical Definition

Distributed systems coordinate computation, storage, or state across networked nodes without shared memory or a single failure domain.

Example

A globally replicated database is a distributed system.

Common Misunderstandings

Distributed systems fail partially, not only completely.
Network reliability cannot be assumed.

Same Category

More from Computer Science

AlgorithmAn algorithm is a precise procedure for solving a problem or computing a result.Byzantine Fault ToleranceByzantine fault tolerance is the ability of a distributed system to keep working even when some nodes behave arbitrarily or maliciously.CacheA cache stores recently or frequently used data in a faster location so future access is quicker.Cache CoherenceCache coherence is the property that multiple caches maintain a consistent view of shared data.CAP TheoremCAP theorem says a distributed data system cannot simultaneously guarantee consistency, availability, and partition tolerance during a network partition.ConcurrencyConcurrency is the ability of a system to make progress on multiple tasks during overlapping time periods.

Related Reading

Essays that use this concept

Computer ScienceThe Byzantine Generals Problem

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