Distributed Systems

Written by Steve Miller

Introduction

Distributed systems are networks of computers coordinating their actions by passing messages to one another in order to maintain a single state. This make the group of computers comprising the network appear as a single computer to the end-user. A key advantage is a computer’s failure does not compromise the network’s ability to continue operating.

Typically, distributed systems contain multiple components including storage, communications, and computation that operate autonomously so if something happens with one it does not impact the others.

The Internet is an example of a massive distributed system with computing power and resources scattered and accessible across the world. Blockchains are another example, except they require nodes to perform some form of work in order to change the global state.

Suggested Reading

How Does Distributed Consensus Work? by Preethi Kasireddy

A Thorough Introduction to Distributed Systems by Stanislav Kozlovski

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