Client-server technology is a computing application architecture that partitions tasks or work loads between a server computer and a client computer. A server is a high-performance host comuter that is a registering unit and shares its resources with client computers. A client computer does not share any of its resources, but requests a server's content or service function. Client computers therefore initiate communication sessions with servers which await (listen to) incoming requests. Many business applications being written today use the client-server model.

The most basic type of client-server architecture employs only two types of hosts: clients and servers. This type of architecture is sometimes referred to as two-tier. It allows devices to share files and resources. The two tier architecture means that the client acts as one tier and application in combination with server acts as another tier.

Advantages

- Proper paritioning of tasks between client and server can prevent server overloading.
- Information security can be centrally controlled by system administrator. Administrator can guarantee that only those clients with the appropriate permissions may access and change data.
- Maintaining of data can be easily managed by qualified and authorized persons.
- Business logic can be standardized and centrally maintained.

Disadvantages

- When more clients are added to the network, network traffic congestion become a challemge to the network administrator.
- If a critical server fail, tasks cannot be performed by client computer along. A backup server is required to standby for such situation and hence it increases the cost of implementation.