What is the Difference Between Cloud Computing and Distributed Computing?

Cloud computing and distributed computing are two different computing techniques that serve distinct purposes. Here are the main differences between them:

Delivery of IT Resources:

Cloud computing provides on-demand access to IT resources such as servers, storage, databases, networking, and software over the internet.
Distributed computing, on the other hand, involves multiple autonomous computers working together to solve a single task or problem by sharing resources and communication.

Goal:

The primary goal of cloud computing is to deliver on-demand computing services over the internet on a pay-per-use basis.
The primary goal of distributed computing is to distribute a single task among multiple computers to achieve faster results than using a single computer.

Infrastructure:

Cloud computing relies on centralized infrastructure, where resources are hosted and managed by service providers.
Distributed computing involves decentralized infrastructure, where multiple computers work together to achieve a common goal.

In summary, cloud computing focuses on providing on-demand IT resources and services over the internet, while distributed computing aims to solve complex tasks by sharing resources and communication among multiple autonomous computers. Distributed computing systems can be run on cloud infrastructure, combining the benefits of both approaches.

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What is the Difference Between Cloud Computing and Distributed Computing?

Comparative Table: Cloud Computing vs Distributed Computing

Here is a table comparing the differences between cloud computing and distributed computing:

Cloud Computing	Distributed Computing
Provides on-demand IT resources/services like server, storage, database, networking, analytics, and software over the internet	Involves solving a problem over distributed autonomous computers that communicate and work together to achieve a common goal
Delivers services or applications in an on-demand environment with security, monitoring, and management	Focuses on collaborative resource sharing by connecting users and providing administrative scalability, size scalability, and geographical scalability
Operated and managed by service providers	Requires remote procedure calls and remote method invocation for distributed computations
Classified into public, private, community, and hybrid clouds	Classified into three types: distributed information systems, distributed pervasive systems, and distributed collaborative systems
Offers advantages such as easy resource sharing, cost reduction, scalability, and platform independence	Offers advantages such as scalability, redundancy, and resource sharing

In summary, cloud computing is more about the delivery and consumption of computing services over the internet, while distributed computing involves solving problems over connected, autonomous computers that work together to achieve a common goal.

Guilherme Mazui

Guilherme Mazui is graduated in journalism from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition, he has experience in advertising writing and has worked as a content editor in several companies.