Cloud Computing vs Distributed Computing: Key Differences

In the past 20 years, computer network technologies have undergone important advancements and changes. The networking of computers has resulted in several innovative advancements in computing technologies, including Distributed Computing and Cloud Computing. The internet is currently the most widely used computer network.  

Although the terms distributed systems and cloud computing systems are used to describe somewhat different things, their underlying concepts are the same. Therefore, having a solid understanding of distributed systems in cloud computing and how they differ from traditional centralized computing systems is required to understand cloud computing systems. Let's examine the primary distinction between distributed computing and the cloud. 

Despite being two different systems, cloud computing and distributed systems frequently cause confusion because they both use the same idea. You must first comprehend the fundamental idea in order to comprehend the two. It is merely the utilization of extensive computer networks. 

By assigning tasks to individual computers within the distributing systems, distributed computing is the use of distributed systems to solve a single, sizable problem. In contrast, cloud computing refers to the use of network-hosted servers to carry out various tasks like data processing, management, and storage. Here, we'll compare cloud computing and distributed computing. 

Cloud Computing vs Distributed Computing: Comparison Table

Following is the difference between distributed computing and cloud computing in tabular form:

Parameters	Cloud Computing	Distributed Computing
Process	Cloud computing is the provision of on-demand IT resources and services over the internet, including servers, storage, databases, networking, analytics, and software.	Distributed computing is the process of solving a problem using numerous independent computers that communicate with one another over a network.
Architecture	Cloud computing can be defined as a computing technique that allows users or customers to access hosted services via the internet.	Distributed computing, to put it simply, is a method of computing that enables multiple computers to communicate and cooperate to solve a single problem.
Categories	It is divided into 4 categories, including Public, Private, Community, and Hybrid Clouds.	Distributed Computing Systems, Distributed Information Systems, and Distributed Pervasive Systems are the three categories into which it is divided.
Advantages	Cloud computing has many advantages, including accessibility to the global market, economies of scale, cost-effectiveness, elasticity, and reliability.	The advantages of distributed computing are numerous, including improved performance, flexibility, and dependability.
Benefits	Cloud computing makes the hardware, software, and networking resources available over the internet.	Because computational tasks take a long time to complete on a single computer, distributed computing makes them possible more quickly.
Purpose	Providing on-demand computing services via the internet using a pay-per-use business model is the aim of cloud computing.	Distributing a single task across a number of computers with the aim of quickly solving it by maintaining coordination between them is known as distributed computing.
Characterstics	The provision of a shared pool of reconfigurable computing resources, on-demand service, pay-per-use, provisioned by service providers, etc., are some characteristics of cloud computing.	Distributing a single task among computers to advance the work simultaneously, using remote procedure calls and remote method invocation for distributed computations are some characteristics of distributed computing.
Drawbacks	Less control, particularly with public clouds, potential service limitations, and cloud security are some drawbacks of cloud computing.	The possibility of node failure and communication issues brought on by a slow network are some drawbacks of distributed computing.

Cloud Computing vs Distributed Computing: Detailed Comparison

1. Cloud Computing: Overview

The best way to understand cloud computing is as a computing model where massively scalable and flexible IT capabilities are offered and delivered using Internet technology. The services we discuss in this article could be any of the following: infrastructure, platforms, software, storage, etc. Users won't need to build their own infrastructure to obtain any of the services they need because they will be paying for using these services based on the usage incurred. 

Instead of building and maintaining their own computing infrastructure, users of cloud computing can use the services and resources as a utility (much like electricity). It typically refers to offering services through the Internet. The services can include anything from online business software to computing resources. 

Basically, cloud computing operates on a pay-per-service utility computing model. This implies that cloud users can scale up as their business needs increase and invest in cloud resources in accordance with their needs. 

Cloud services keep costs low for small to medium-sized businesses while ensuring flexibility, quick resource availability, and access to cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc. 

Some of the top advantages of cloud computing technology include security, performance, scalability, reliability, cost, and speed. 

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2. Distributed Computing: Overview

A problem can be divided into multiple chunks using distributed systems, and each of those chunks is computed by a separate computer operating as part of the distributed system. 

A distributed system consists of multiple computers that communicate with one another over a network. Each computer connected to the network uses all its resources to work toward achieving the common objective. On the other hand, since different computer users have different needs, distributed systems will address these issues by coordinating shared resources and facilitating communication with other nodes. As a result, each of these tasks is completed in this way. 

In order to understand distributed systems, let's use Google's web server as an example. When a user submits a search request to Google, the web server processes the request as a single system. A Distributed Computing technology implementation by Google is what's going on in the background. Several servers work together to address the distribution of data across various geographic locations in order to deliver the search results in just a few milliseconds. 

3. Cloud Computing: Objective

Delivering services or applications in an on-demand environment with a focus on increased scalability, transparency, security, monitoring, and management is the essence of cloud computing. Services are transparently delivered using cloud computing systems, disregarding the physical implementation of the cloud. 

4. Distributed Computing: Objective

By connecting users and resources, distributed computing aims to provide cooperative resource sharing. The goals of distributed computing are size (number of processes and users), administrative (number of domains in administration), and geographic (number of processes). 

Cloud Computing: Types

Public Cloud 

Public clouds are run by third parties who offer cloud services to the general public over the internet with pay-as-you-go billing options. 

They provide ways to reduce the cost of IT infrastructure and develop it into a viable choice for managing peak loads on local infrastructure. Small businesses can launch their operations without making significant initial investments by relying solely on public infrastructure for their IT requirements, making public clouds the go-to choice for these companies.to choice for these companies. 

Multitenancy is one of the fundamental characteristics of public clouds. A public cloud is designed to serve many users, not just one particular client. A user needs a virtual computing environment that is distinct from other users and most likely isolated. 

Private Cloud 

Private clouds are distributed systems that operate on private infrastructure and give users access to computing resources that are dynamically allocated. There may be other plans that regulate cloud usage and proportionally charge the various departments or areas of an organization in place of the pay-as-you-go model used in private clouds. HP Data Centers, Ubuntu, Elastic-Private cloud, Microsoft, and other companies offer private clouds. 

Hybrid Cloud 

By combining the resources of the public cloud and the private cloud, a hybrid cloud is created, which is a heterogeneous distributed system. They are also known as heterogeneous clouds because of this. 

The inability of private deployments to scale on demand and effectively handle peak loads is a significant disadvantage. Public clouds are required here. As a result, a hybrid cloud utilizes both public and private clouds.

Distributed Computing: Types

Distributed Information System 

It utilizes various communication models and functions across various servers. The four qualities that transactions have are as follows:It utilises various communication models and functions across various servers. The four qualities that transactions have are as follows: 

• Atomic: the transaction must be unbreakable for the other parties. 
• Consistent: After the transaction has been completed, the transaction should be consistent. 
• Isolated: A transaction must be isolated from other transactions. 
• Durable: Once a transaction has been engaged, the changes are irreversible. A nested transaction is a group of sub-transactions that together make up a transaction.

Distributed Pervasive System 

Pervasive computing, also known as ubiquitous (Changed and removed) computing, is the latest development in the integration of common objects with microprocessors to enable the communication of information. A computer system that is accessible from anywhere in the business or that is widely available to consumers, with the same appearance and functionality, but that utilizes computing resources, storage, and locations all over the world. 

Cloud Computing: Benefits / Problems It Solve

Cloud computing has a wide range of advantages and benefits, but we will focus on the most significant ones here: 

• Internet connectivity is the best resource for connecting via an organization's cloud offerings because cloud computing allows for the globalization of the workforce at a cost that is affordable to organizations. 
• Instead of using emails and file sharing, which are the conventional or traditional methods of knowledge sharing among employees, organizations can make use of their Cloud offerings.

Distributed Computing: Benefits / Problems It Solve

However, we will focus on the most significant ones here. Distributed computing has many advantages and benefits. 

• Because adding an additional microprocessor is significantly more affordable than adding additional mainframes, they offer a better performance ratio when compared to a centrally located computer. 
• They are capable of more computation than a centrally controlled system. They offer gradual growth so that organizations' computational power can be increased as and when necessary to meet their operational needs. 

Cloud Computing: Services Included

In order to provide quicker innovation, adaptable resources, and scale economies, cloud computing is the delivery of computing services over the Internet ("the cloud"), including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence. The majority of the time, you only pay for the cloud services you actually use, which helps you cut operating costs, manage your infrastructure more effectively, and scale as your company's needs change. 

Distributed Computing: Services Included

Multiple software components running on various computers make up a distributed computer system, which functions as a single unit. A distributed system's computers can be geographically separated and linked by a wide area network, or they can be physically close to one another and connected by a local network. 

Cloud Computing: Goals

Delivering services or applications in an on-demand environment with a focus on increased scalability, transparency, security, monitoring, and management is the essence of cloud computing. Services are transparently delivered using cloud computing systems, disregarding the physical implementation of the cloud. 

Distributed Computing: Goals

By connecting users and resources, distributed computing aims to provide cooperative resource sharing. The goals of distributed computing are size (number of processes and users), administrative (number of domains in administration), and geographic (number of processes). 

Cloud Computing: Characteristics

Abstraction is the primary feature of cloud computing. Particularly, all computing services that clients access are totally abstracted. The main advantage of cloud computing, shared, universal access, is made possible by abstraction. Abstraction highlights the key elements of cloud computing while concealing the user from background information. 

Cloud computing also has on-demand self-service as a feature. With on-demand self-service, users can access cloud computing services from any location, at any time, without having to interact with the vendors. 

Another characteristic of cloud computing is elasticity, which is the capacity to scale up and down according to need. Scaling-up in this context refers to the ability of the cloud computing platform to accommodate changes in service supply without compromising performance. 

Measuring usage is another aspect of cloud computing. It is common to practice tracking how often cloud computing services are used. These measurements are used for reporting and billing and are accessible to both clients and vendors. 

Distributed Computing: Characteristics

The following attributes best describe a distributed computing system. 

• The first benefit of scalability is that it guarantees that the system can grow to accommodate more users as needed. Furthermore, fault tolerance ensures that the operation of the system as a whole is not impacted by the failure of a single node. 
• In distributed computing, resource sharing makes sure that resources are shared among a number of different components. Transparency also makes it possible for the system as a whole to appear as a single entity while hiding the fact that its resources are physically dispersed across various components.

Cloud Computing: Components

A feature of cloud computing called "Infrastructure as a Service" (IaaS) gives users online access to the computer infrastructure. Infrastructure such as servers, storage units, and networking resources are provided to clients here upon request. A feature of cloud computing called "Infrastructure as a Service" (IaaS) gives users online access to computer infrastructure. Infrastructure such as servers, storage units, and networking resources are provided to clients here upon request.

As an alternative, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provides clients with software applications via the Internet. As a final point, Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offers environments for development, testing, and deployments.

Distributed Computing: Components

Any distributed computing system must have a database, a primary system controller, and a system data store. The distributed system's processes and resources are managed and controlled by the primary system controller. On the other hand, all shared data must be kept in the system data store.

The database serves as the system's primary storage location as well. We keep track of auditing, process control, and tracking data here.

Cloud Computing: Advantages

1. Make a data backup and restore - Once the data is in the cloud, using the cloud to back up and restore the data is simpler. 
2. Increased cooperation - Through shared storage in the cloud, cloud applications enable teams to more easily and quickly share information.
3. Very good accessibility - Using the cloud and an internet connection, we can quickly and easily access information stored anywhere, at any time. By ensuring that our data is always accessible, an internet cloud infrastructure boosts organizational productivity and efficiency. 
4. Low cost of maintenance - Organizations can save money on hardware and software maintenance thanks to cloud computing. 
5. Services with a pay-per-use business model - Users of cloud computing are provided with Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to access cloud services, and they are charged based on how often they use those services. 
6. Abundant storage space - The cloud provides us with a significant amount of storage space for centrally storing all of our important data, including documents, images, audio, and video. 
7. Data protection - One of the main benefits of cloud computing is data security. Data is handled and stored thanks to the cloud's many cutting-edge security features securely. 

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Distributed Computing: Advantages

Modularity and Scalability 

Due to their ability to operate on multiple machines and scale horizontally, distributed systems are inherently scalable. This implies that a user can add an additional machine to handle the rising workload rather than continuously updating a single system. Almost no limit exists on how much a user can scale. When there is a high demand, a system can operate each machine to its maximum capacity and turn off machines when there is a low workload. 

Redundancy and Tolerance for Errors 

Additionally, compared to single machines, distributed systems are inherently more fault tolerant. If a company has a cluster of 8 machines spread across two data centers, its apps will continue to function even if one data center goes offline. 

Small Latency 

Distributed systems allow the traffic to hit the closest node, resulting in low latency and better performance because users can have a node in multiple locations. The software must be created to run on multiple nodes simultaneously, though doing so can increase complexity and cost. 

Financial Efficiency 

When compared to very large centralized systems, distributed systems are significantly more cost-effective. Up until a certain point, they initially cost more than standalone systems, but after that, economies of scale become more important.When compared to very large centralised systems, distributed systems are significantly more cost-effective. Up until a certain point, they initially cost more than standalone systems, but after that, economies of scale become more important. 

Efficiency 

It takes less time to solve complex problems when they are broken down into smaller pieces and worked on by multiple computers simultaneously, thanks to distributed systems. 

Cloud Computing: Disadvantages

Access to the Internet 

You probably already know that in cloud computing, all data (including images, audio, and video) is stored in the cloud and accessed via the internet. You cannot access these data if your internet connection is poor. We do not, however, have any other means of gaining access to cloud-based data. 

Vendor lock-in  

The biggest drawback of cloud computing is vendor lock-in. Transferring an organization's services from one vendor to another could present challenges. Moving from one cloud to another can be challenging because different vendors offer various platforms. 

Limited Control 

The function and execution of services within a cloud infrastructure are less under the control of cloud users since, as far as we are aware, the cloud infrastructure is entirely owned, managed, and watched over by the service provider. 

Safety 

Although the best security measures are used by cloud service providers to store sensitive data, before implementing cloud technology, you should be aware that you will be giving a cloud computing service provider access to all of your company's sensitive data. There's a chance that hackers will steal the data from your company while it's being sent over to the cloud.all of your company's sensitive data. There's a chance that hackers will steal the data from your company while it's being sent over the cloud.

Distributed Computing: Disadvantages

Complexity 

Compared to their centralized counterparts, distributed computing systems are more challenging to deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot/debug. The increased complexity is not just confined to the hardware because distributed systems also require software that can manage communications and security. Compared to their centralised counterparts, distributed computing systems are more challenging to deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot/debug. The increased complexity is not just confined to the hardware because distributed systems also require software that can manage communications and security. 

Greater upfront costs 

A distribution requires more money to deploy than a single system does. The overall cost is also increased by increased processing overhead brought on by additional computation and information exchange. 

Security Issues 

In a centralized computing system, data access can be managed fairly easily, but managing security in distributed systems is more difficult. Users must have access to and control over replicated data spread across multiple locations in addition to the network's security requirements.In a centralised computing system, data access can be managed fairly easily, but managing security in distributed systems is more difficult. Users must have access to and control over replicated data spread across multiple locations in addition to the network's security requirements.

Cloud Computing vs Distributed Computing: Which One to Go For?

Both cloud computing and distributed computing are difficult fields of computational technology. Depending on your business objective, you'll choose a particular type of computational technology. You can choose a distributed computing in cloud computing model if your business processes require a lot of computation, and simultaneous computation on several resources would be beneficial. 

You can purchase cloud computing services even if your computing is distributed. If you want on-premises or cloud resources, you must decide which is more practical. 

Before switching to a specific computation model, it is preferable to work with qualified experts. You will be better served by the advice of software engineers who have experience with distributed and cloud computing when choosing technologies, service providers, etc. 

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Conclusion

We have seen what both distributed computing and cloud computing are in this article and also covered the difference between distributed computing and cloud computing. In order to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each of these computing technologies, we first understood these concepts individually before attempting to differentiate between them. understand the advantages and disadvantages of each of these computing technologies, we first understood these concepts individually before attempting to differentiate between them. 

With vendors and analysts agreeing that distributed cloud technology is gaining traction in consumers' and service providers' minds, the term "distributed cloud computing" has emerged as the lingo of choice in the IT industry. Distributed cloud computing services are poised to reduce IT costs while assisting businesses in becoming more responsive to market conditions.

Distributed computing is a type of computing that uses a group of machines to work as a single unit to solve a large-scale problem. Cloud computing is essentially a sales and distribution model for various types of resources over the internet. This is accomplished by distributed computing by decomposing the problem into smaller tasks and allocating each of these tasks to a different node. Getting a job in cloud computing is relatively easier, but first, it is necessary to undertake a cloud computing course. You can check out KnowledgeHut Computing Certification Computing Certification.