In brief, what is a P2P network? It is a peer-to-peer network, which means that devices don’t communicate through a central server and each has the ability to support the other. The most popular examples are BitTorrent and public blockchains. While P2P networks are resilient and low-cost to scale, they have introduced with them risks of malware and associated privacy and legal issues that you’ll need to recognise.
How a P2P Network Works
To understand what is a P2P network, start with how it works:
With a traditional website setup, when your browser (the client) requests a web page, your server provides it for you. That’s where the P2P network comes in. Finally, every device, called a peer or node, can broadcast data and can will receive the data—the work is distributed across all of them.
A P2P network is referred to as “decentralised” because there is no single piece of hardware or software that controls the network. In the pure model, there is also no authentication server specifically dedicated to user authentication.
Peer-to-Peer vs Client-Server (Original Comparison)
This editorial table summarizes the published explainers and explains the differences between the two models.
| Factor | Client-server | Peer-to-peer |
| Security | High: Highly secure | Low: Less secure |
| Failure risk | The system is not down when a node fails | Other servers continue to operate if one fails |
| Scaling | Requires more infrastructure investment | More infrastructure invested with each new peer |
| Cost | Licensing and admin Upfront investment with dedicated hardware | Infrastructure cost Lessons learned: there is less cost through dedicated hardware, licensing and admin. |
| Best for | Enterprise use cases requiring control and security | Decentralized sharing, censorship-resistant systems and blockchain |
The result is that P2P networks for peer-to-peer file sharing, such as the BitTorrent protocol, or public blockchains, which are currently under development, are more resilient than centralized networks that bring everything to a halt when one server is down.
Types of P2P Networks
Once you know what is a P2P network, the next step is the types. There are 3 different types of P2P Networks.
| Type | How it works | Examples cited |
| Unstructured | Peers have arbitrary connections, no defined ‘topology’ | Gnutella and Freenet |
| Distributed hash table (DHT) | An algorithm, is used to map resources to the peers that hold them | Kademlia, Chord and CAN |
| Hybrid | A central server facilitates peer discovery of peers, and subsequent direct connections and transfers between peers | Some VoIP and file-sharing systems |
Information varies at some examples. One list refers to Napster as “Unstructured networks” and another refers to “client software and a central server” as being characteristic of early Napster. Skype is one such example: It operated under a hybrid P2P protocol, but eventually was acquired by Microsoft and changed to client-server model. Be wary of past instances and ensure you read up on the particular system that you are interested in.
Real-World Uses
File sharing. The principle behind BitTorrent is to divide a large file into smaller chunks and assign them to different peers. One is currently in use: IPFS.
Blockchain. The public blockchains are based on P2P concepts, and each node maintains a complete record of the transaction ledger. The consensus process among peers makes the ledger resistant to tampering.
Communication and collaboration. P2P ideas have been adopted to develop voice and video tools and collaborative editing.
Small office networks. In a small or home network environment, the term P2P network may refer to a few computers that share files and printers to each other without using a central server. This is a less ambitious system than the above internet scale – and it is well to understand what a source means when they say it.
Risks to Understand
While P2P is legal, it does have the real dangers to it.
- Malware. The biggest danger is malware getting around in the files that you download from people that you don’t know.
- Visible IP address. When you connect you are visible by other peers with your IP address.
- Traffic exposure. When it works as a node, other network nodes can observe any traffic that goes through your computer.
- Uneven security. While certain P2P networks are more secure than others, all still have the risk of malware infecting the system that is utilized.
- Legal exposure. Even if the technology you are using with digital content is legitimate, posting copyrighted content without permission can violate the law and your provider’s terms. Not a lawyer –caution, depending on where you are.
A privacy dictionary mentions that Privacy may be enhanced with a P2P-friendly VPN which obscures users’ identity and location, but again, it’s a vendor’s claim and is not a replacement for malware or legal issues. Regularly see vulnerabilities middle of the P2P client software, make sure that it is up-to-date.
P2P Safety Screen (Original Framework)
Check these things before joining any P2P Network or installing any client. An Editorial technique.
| Check | Safe sign | Warning sign |
| Platform | Official project site | Unofficial installer or bundled software |
| Content available | Open files or licensed files | Pirated or unknown files |
| Updates | Client updated recently | Abandoned software |
| Exposure | You know you are not anonymous | You know what your IP says |
Acceptable Risks
There are some Acceptable risks to consider.There are some risks that are acceptable to think about.
| Check | Safe sign | Warning sign |
| Objectives | To be clear about legitimate use of paid content | “Free” access to paid content |
Milestone Checklist for P2P Network
- Explained the need for P2P: sharing, blockchain and/or a small network.
- Made a comparison with a plain old client-server solution.
- Hire a well-respected client from the official source
- Upheld the client and OS refreshed
- Opened any files that have been emailed or downloaded from the internet
- Know that my IP address can be seen by others
- Only used content I’ve the appropriate legal permission to share
- Checked the rules of my provider
- Installed and set up my firewall and my shared folders thoughtfully
Guest Post Angles
Suicide, public schools and higher learning, the opiates crisis, blaze mitigation, music, video games, and entertainment are suitable topics for networking, cybersecurity, and blockchain publications:
- P2P vs client-server for small businesses – choosing the right one.
- The use of peer-to-peer networking in blockchain.
- How to maintain online security when P2P sharing: Cheat sheet for beginners.
- The use of the Network Model depends on the job.
Conclusion
The next time somebody is asked what is a p2p network the helpful answer is that it’s a design choice and not a product. If you are interested in resilience, load or decentralization, select P2P model, if you are interested in central control, accounts management and security management, select client-server. First select the model by the job then apply the above safety checks.
