Centralized Server Architecture
Centralized server architecture is a computing model where a single, central server handles all or most processing, data storage, and management tasks for client devices or applications. It centralizes control, resources, and decision-making, with clients typically acting as thin terminals that request services from the server. This architecture is foundational in traditional client-server systems, mainframe computing, and many enterprise applications.
Developers should learn this architecture when building systems that require strict control, centralized data management, simplified maintenance, or high security, such as in banking systems, government databases, or legacy enterprise software. It's particularly useful in scenarios where data consistency, audit trails, and centralized backups are critical, though it can introduce single points of failure and scalability challenges compared to distributed alternatives.