A client/server application is a piece of software that runs on a client computer and makes requests to a remote server. Many such applications are written in high-level visual programming languages where the user interface, forms, and most business logic reside in the client application. Often such applications are database applications that make database queries to a remote central database server.
A client is a machine, typically a personal computer (or mobile device, desktop or laptop) that is equipped with network software applications. These applications are designed to request and receive data over the span of the network. In the case of the internet, which is kind of like an obscenely large network, the possibilities of sending and receiving data are endless.
A server is like an enormous warehouse, one that has more memory, bigger disk drives and more super powered central processors, as compared to client machines. A server is a storehouse of files, folders, databases and even more complicated applications. A server is more powerful than a client and can support and process the requests of a large number of clients, at times by networking together many servers in a cluster. The servers can support an enormous amount of clients without being overwhelmed by the load. A server does not necessarily require a display and is usually a separate machine from the client. However this is not a rule.
Client/server describes an application architecture in which “the client” requests an action or service from the provider of service, “the server”. Consider a Web browser and a Web server. When you enter an address (URL) in the browser window, it (client) requests a page from a Web server. The server returns an html page to the client, which parses the page (data) and displays it on your computer. Similarly, the system on which the Tailwind’s CMS application is running becomes the client. When we click on any tool/feature/option in CMS, it sends a request to the linked server. The server accesses the corresponding database and grabs the data according to the request received. Lastly this data is sent back to the client as a result of the request.
A client / server application can be cross platform (different computer operating systems) if it is written in a cross-platform language, or it can be platform specific, such as being written specifically for a computer running Windows XP. In the case of a cross-platform language, there is an advantage that the application can potentially provide a user interface that is native in appearance to the operating system or platform environment it is running under.
Source www.howstuffworks.com , www.wikipedia.org
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