Editing Rich client (section)

{{Short description|Type of client over a network powerful enough to perform significant computation}}{{EngvarB|date=January 2019}}{{Refimprove|date=April 2007}}
In [[computer network]]ing, a '''rich client''' (also called a '''heavy''', '''fat''' or '''thick client''') is a [[computer]] (a "[[Client (computing)|client]]" in [[client–server]] network architecture) that typically provides rich functionality independent of the central [[Server (computing)|server]]. This kind of computer was originally known as just a "client" or "thick client,"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techterms.com/definition/thickclient|title=Thick Client Definition|website=www.techterms.com}}</ref> in contrast with "[[thin client]]", which describes a computer heavily dependent on a server's applications. A rich client may be described as having a '''rich user interaction'''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/ajax_excerpt.php3 |title=Rich User Interaction of Ajax |access-date=2018-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919141615/http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/ajax_excerpt.php3 |archive-date=2017-09-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

While a rich client still requires at least a periodic connection to a network or central server {{citation needed|date=August 2020}}, it is often characterised by the ability to perform many functions without a connection.  In contrast, a thin client generally does as little processing as possible on the client, relying on access to the server each time input data needs to be processed or validated.