Peer-to-peer (abbreviated to P2P) refers to a computer
network in which each computer in the network can act as a client or
server for the other computers in the network, allowing shared access to
files and peripherals
without the need for a central server. P2P networks can be set up in
the home, a business or over the Internet. Each network type requires
all computers in the network to use the same or a compatible program to
connect to each other and access files and other resources found on the
other computer. P2P networks can be used for sharing content such as
audio, video, data or anything in digital format.
P2P is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks
or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged participants in
the application. Each computer in the network is referred to a node.
The owner of each computer on a P2P network would set aside a portion
of its resources - such as processing power, disk storage or network
bandwidth -to be made directly available to other network participant,
without the need for central coordination by servers or stable hosts.
With this model, peers are both suppliers and consumers of resources, in contrast to the traditional client–server model where only servers supply (send), and clients consume (receive).