peer-to-peer.mdwn (885B)
1 Peer-to-peer 2 ============ 3 4 **Peer-to-peer** refers to protocols and information transfer that take 5 place in a [[decentralized|decentralization]] way, without being mediated by 6 a server. 7 8 At its purest, peer-to-peer file transfer uses a direct link (cable or 9 radio) or a physical media. This is often surprisingly difficult with modern 10 devices and operating systems, especially considering the large amounts of 11 different protocols they support. 12 13 If there's a larger network infrastructure (be that the [[Internet]], the 14 telephone network, or [[snailmail]]), the peer-to-peer approach is not as 15 pure, but the term may be used nevertheless. In peer-to-peer file transfer 16 [[protocols]], there are also often servers (called "trackers") that are 17 needed for the peers to discover one another, but the servers are not 18 concerned by the file transfers themselves. 19 20 See also: 21 22 * [[protocols]]