Editing Client–server model (section)

{{Short description|Distributed application structure in computing}}{{More citations needed|article (some sections)|date=March 2024}}[[File:Client-server-model.svg|thumb|250px|A computer network diagram of clients communicating with a server via the Internet]]

The '''client–server model''' is a [[distributed application]] structure that partitions tasks or workloads between the providers of a resource or service, called [[Server (computing)|servers]], and service requesters, called [[client (computing)|client]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://java.sun.com/developer/Books/jdbc/ch07.pdf|publisher=Sun Microsystem|title=Distributed Application Architecture|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110406121920/http://java.sun.com/developer/Books/jdbc/ch07.pdf|access-date=2009-06-16|archive-date=6 April 2011}}</ref> Often clients and servers communicate over a [[Computer networking device|computer network]] on separate hardware, but both client and server may be on the same device. A server [[Host (network)|host]]  runs one or more server programs, which share their resources with clients. A client usually does not share its computing resources, but it requests content or service from a server and may share its own content as part of the request. Clients, therefore, initiate communication sessions with servers, which await incoming requests.
Examples of computer applications that use the client–server model are [[email]], network printing, and the [[World Wide Web]].