Web & networking

Client & Server

Also called: Client-Server

The short version

A client asks for information or an action; a server handles the request and sends back a response.

Who asks and who answers

Opening a product page starts a simple exchange. Your browser, the client, asks the website’s server for the page. The server may check a database for prices or stock before sending the page back.

Roles can change

Client and server describe roles in an exchange, not particular devices. A phone app can be a client. A server can also act as a client when it asks another server for information.