# P2P: what it is and how it works · Zorraquino
> P2P (peer-to-peer) is a network model where computers connect directly and each acts as both client and server.
URL: https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/peer-to-peer.html

# P2P

P2P (peer-to-peer) is a network model in which computers connect directly to each other and each can act as both client and server

What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.

[The whole glossary](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary)

## What it is and how it works

Unlike the client-server model, where a central server handles all users, a P2P network shares resources among its participants. It became popular through file sharing, often of copyright-protected music or films, but it is also used legitimately to distribute software and updates, in some real-time communications and as the basis of blockchain networks.

By extension, P2P refers to business models in which people exchange goods, services or money directly through a platform, such as person-to-person payments or the sharing economy.

Also known as

peer-to-peer

Topics

[Technology and data](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/category/tecnologia-y-datos)

## Related concepts

- [Blockchain](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/blockchain.html)
- [Sharing economy](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/collaborative-economy.html)
- [Server](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/server.html)