Distributed Systems
Definition
Computer systems where components run across multiple networked machines but appear as a single coherent system, improving reliability and scalability.
Use Cases
- Amazon: Running a global e-commerce platform that must stay available during peak shopping events and regional failures — Amazon uses distributed services across many data centers and regions, with replicated data, service-oriented components, load balancing, and fault-tolerant design so different parts of the platform can continue operating even when some components fail. (This approach supports massive scale, high availability, and fast customer experiences for millions of users worldwide.)
- Netflix: Streaming video reliably to users around the world — Netflix built a distributed microservices platform in the cloud, spreading workloads across many instances and availability zones, using replication, caching, and resilience patterns to handle failures without stopping the service. (Netflix can serve a global audience at very high scale while reducing the impact of infrastructure failures.)
- Uber: Matching riders and drivers in real time across many cities — Uber uses distributed backend services to process location updates, trip requests, pricing, and dispatch decisions across many machines. The system is designed to handle large volumes of concurrent events with low latency. (This enables near real-time ride matching, geographic scalability, and continuous service during heavy demand.)
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the difference between Distributed Systems and Microservices?
- A distributed system is a broad concept: multiple computers work together and appear as one system. Microservices are one way to build a distributed system by splitting an application into smaller independent services. Not every distributed system uses microservices, and not every microservices design is large or globally distributed.
- When should I use Distributed Systems?
- Use distributed systems when one machine is not enough for your needs. Common reasons include needing higher availability, global reach, better fault tolerance, horizontal scaling, or faster performance for users in different regions. For small applications, a simpler single-server design is often easier and cheaper to operate.
- How much does Distributed Systems cost?
- Costs vary widely because distributed systems use many resources instead of one. Main cost factors include the number of servers or containers, managed database pricing, cross-region data transfer, load balancers, monitoring tools, storage replication, and engineering time. They often cost more than monolithic systems, but they can deliver better uptime, scale, and resilience for business-critical workloads.
Category: cloud
Difficulty: advanced
Related Terms
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