Edge Server
An edge server is a computing device or server deployed at the edge of a network, closer to end-users or data sources, to process data locally rather than in a centralized cloud or data center. It reduces latency, bandwidth usage, and improves performance for applications like IoT, content delivery, and real-time analytics by handling tasks such as caching, filtering, and preprocessing at the network periphery.
Developers should use edge servers when building applications that require low-latency responses, such as online gaming, video streaming, or autonomous vehicles, or when dealing with large volumes of IoT data that benefit from local processing to reduce cloud costs and network congestion. They are essential for distributed systems where proximity to users enhances reliability and speed, making them a key component in edge computing architectures.