A server is a computer or a program that contains data or provides services to be used by other computers on the network. Some of the common server types are file, print, and mail servers. They enable your computer to share the data, devices and resources of another computer. There are also servers that provide services to let you execute programs on a computer other than your own. This enables your computer to share the processing power of another computer. Servers are also known as daemons. Generally, a server runs continuously and can handle the requests of multiple clients simultaneously.

A client is a computer or a program that requests services or data from a server. A client could, for example, request that a file located at the server be sent across the network to the client.