Knowledge MaxxingDistributed system
A distributed system is an application made of multiple separate computers working together over a network, rather than running as one single program on one machine.
Prerequisite: Web server
What matters
Because parts communicate over a network, a distributed system must handle new problems, like partial failures or delays, that a single-machine program never has to consider.
Example
A web application with a separate database server, cache server, and several application servers, all communicating over a network, is a distributed system.
Common misconception
A distributed system is not simply 'a lot of code'; the defining trait is that independent machines coordinate over a network, each of which can fail separately.
Recall question
What new kind of problem does a distributed system face that a single-machine program does not?