What are examples of distributed systems in real-life applications?

Distributed systems are widely used in various real-life applications such as online banking, social networking, and cloud computing.

Online banking is a prime example of a distributed system. In this setup, the bank's servers are spread across different locations, each handling specific tasks such as transaction processing, customer service, and security. This distribution of tasks ensures that the system can handle large volumes of transactions simultaneously without any significant slowdowns. Moreover, it enhances the system's reliability and fault tolerance, as the failure of one server does not affect the entire system.

Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter also utilise distributed systems. These platforms need to manage vast amounts of data and cater to millions of users worldwide. To achieve this, they distribute their data and processing across multiple servers in various locations. This not only allows them to handle the high traffic but also ensures that their services are always available, even if one server or data centre goes down. You can learn more about the types of networks involved here.

Cloud computing services, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud, are other notable examples of distributed systems. These services allow businesses to store and process their data on remote servers rather than on local machines or data centres. The data and processing are distributed across multiple servers, often in different geographical locations. This setup provides businesses with scalable, reliable, and cost-effective computing resources. For further understanding of the differences between centralised and distributed systems, visit this page.

In the world of telecommunications, distributed systems are used in mobile networks. For instance, when you make a call or send a text, your request is processed by a network of interconnected servers and switches. This distributed architecture allows the network to handle a large number of calls and texts simultaneously and ensures that the service remains available even if one part of the network fails. To see how algorithms play a role in these processes, click here.

IB Computer Science Tutor Summary: In summary, distributed systems are crucial for services like online banking, social networking, cloud computing, and mobile networks. These systems spread tasks across multiple servers in different locations, helping handle large amounts of data and users efficiently. This setup improves reliability, ensuring services can cope with high demand and remain operational, even if part of the system fails.