I hear the word server in all sorts of contexts whenever computers are involved. What is a server and how does it relate to a PC?
In: Technology
A computer or app that asks for something is called a **client**
A computer or app that provides the thing is called a **server**
This type of relationship is common all over computing and is how many of the apps and services you use are designed.
For example, when you use Spotify, you don’t have the music on your device. The Spotify app, and more generally, your device, is the _client_. They talk to a Spotify _server_ (a large service usually has multiple) and ask for things like the audio, the playlists, album art, artist info, etc. Clients and servers are usually connected through a network (in this case, the internet).
You could also use your PC as a server. For example, lots of people use a second computer in their house as a “media server” where they can store their collection of music, movies, and TV shows. They can then access that collection from multiple devices as long as they keep the media server running.
The word “server” is often used interchangeably for both the app or software that does the serving and the computer it’s running on. Using media servers again as an example, Plex is a media server software. Since the server software is usually the only app running on a computer, the computer it’s running on is also commonly referred to as a “server”.
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