If you are familiar with the network, you must have heard the term client. In the computer world, whatever sends a request to the server is a client. In this article we will tell you what is a client? In order to understand this concept better and get acquainted with the types of clients, read the rest of this article.

What is your client?

The simplest definition for the term client is that in any network model, any hardware or software that requests to connect to the server is considered a client. In Client/server network architecture, clients are computers, software or users who receive services from the server. Usually, the devices with which users as clients connect to a network and then to the server, Desktop computers, laptops, notebooks, mobile phones or any other electronic device that can communicate and receive services from the server in the network.

Another point is that sometimes this client is physically connected to the network and server and is close to it in terms of geographical location, and sometimes it is with the help of the Internet that a client/server network is created.

What is the concept of a client/server?

In the client/server network architecture, clients communicate with the server by providing data requests or resources that they are unable to provide themselves. It is not necessary that the client and server are in the same geographical location. They can be in different places and interact with each other through a network such as the Internet. It is interesting to know that a device in a network can be a client and receive services from the server at the same time, be a server and provide services to other clients in the network.

A series of special rules and framework determine what tasks the client and server are responsible for in a network. The roles or tasks that are the responsibility of the client in the network are called the client side and the tasks that are the responsibility of the server are called the server side.

What is the difference between client-side and server-side?

Client-side refers to the tasks that are performed on the client side, while server-side is the tasks that the server is required to perform.

For example, JavaScript scripts are client-side because they are executed by the client-side browser. This is while the common Gateway Interface scripts are server-side, because they run on the server.

A server can be an application server, a standalone computer, a database server, or a web server. When a program or device does not have the necessary resources and facilities to perform its tasks, it acts as a client. In this way, he sends his request to the server in the network and asks it to perform an operation that he is not able to do on the server.

What is the difference between Cilent and Server?

The main difference between client and server is that a client is a machine or program that requests services over a network while a server is a machine or program that provides services to clients as requested.

How do the client and server communicate with each other?

Clients and servers interact with each other based on a series of rules and regulations called network protocols. This protocol is called TCP/IP. The protocol defines the language and patterns used by the client and server. In this way, TCP maintains the connection between the client and the server from the beginning of the request to the end of providing services between them. Another thing that the TCP protocol does is determine how to distribute application data, send and receive data packets, and handle dropped packets.

If a server receives a large number of requests from clients at a certain time, these requests must be organized in a scheduling system based on priority. This work is done with the help of different types of software, which are called client access control tools. Sometimes, in some types of server models, a user or human force must determine the order and priority of receiving services from the server for clients.

Getting to know the types of clients in the network

There are 4 types of clients in the network, which include the following:

• Thick Client
• Thin client
• Hybrid Client
• Zero client

What is Thick Client?

Powerful clients that perform most of their tasks by themselves and only need the help of the server in some special cases are called Thick Clients. A thick client is an independent but network-connected workstation that has all the components and data it needs to perform its tasks. Thick Client is able to run independent software programs and does not involve any volume or capacity from the server and only relies on the server in some very specific cases.

What is thin client?

Unlike Thick Clients, which were actually only a member of a network and did not receive special services from the server, Thin Clients rely heavily on the server to perform their tasks. This reliance is so high that a thin client uses a server and its resources like a personal hard drive. In thin client, all calculations are done remotely and on the server.

What is Hybrid Client?

Hybrid Client or hybrid clients are clients whose function form is a combination of Thick Client and

It is a thin client. These types of clients process data locally and do not need server services in this regard. But to store information, they need the space provided by the server.

These types of clients can have very high performance like Thick Client with the help of the server, and like Thin Clients, they also have high management power and great flexibility.

What is zero client?

The thinnest and most affordable types of clients in the network are these zero clients. Consider a zero client as a device that requires no special configuration and nothing is stored on them. This means that these types of clients, which are called ultra-thin clients, are not able to perform calculations independently, nor do they have a memory to store information on them. Even Zero clients consume less electricity than other types of clients.

What you read in this article was a brief answer to the question, what is a client? What are the types of clients? And what is the difference between server and client in a network? This article was compiled by the Softhost team. If, despite the above information, this issue is still unclear to you, you can ask your questions in the comments section so that they will be answered as soon as possible.