Peer-to-Peer Networking
Peer-to-peer (P2P) networking is a decentralized communication model where each participant (peer) acts as both a client and a server, sharing resources directly without relying on a central server. It enables distributed systems where peers collaborate to provide services like file sharing, content distribution, or blockchain transactions. This architecture enhances scalability, fault tolerance, and reduces dependency on single points of failure.
Developers should learn P2P networking when building decentralized applications, such as file-sharing systems (e.g., BitTorrent), blockchain platforms (e.g., Bitcoin), or real-time communication tools, as it offers resilience against censorship and server outages. It's also valuable for creating scalable distributed systems where resources are shared efficiently among many users, reducing infrastructure costs and improving performance in large-scale networks.