Client (computing)

Clients and servers may be computer programs run on the same machine and connect via inter-process communication techniques.

The term was first applied to devices that were not capable of running their own stand-alone programs, but could interact with remote computers via a network.

The personal computer is a common example of a fat client, because of its relatively large set of features and capabilities and its light reliance upon a server.

For example, a computer running an art program (such as Krita or Sketchup) that ultimately shares the result of its work on a network is a thick client.

A computer that runs almost entirely as a standalone machine save to send or receive files via a network is by a standard called a workstation.