Peer-to-Peer (P2P) is a network architecture where each node acts as both client and server, sharing resources directly with other participants without a central coordinator. Every participant holds equal status, can initiate requests, and can provide data, processing power, or storage. This contrasts with the client-server model where a few dedicated servers supply all resources. P2P's strength is resilience. When a file is split into pieces stored across multiple peers, no single point of failure exists. If one node goes offline, others supply the missing parts. This makes P2P attractive for content distribution, software updates, and decentralized services. BitTorrent popularized the model for file sharing. Bitcoin uses P2P for transaction propagation. IPFS uses it for decentralized storage. P2P also enables privacy-focused communication because data travels through many independent routes instead of passing through a single overseer.
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