Distributed Systems 101

What is a Distributed System?

A distributed system is a network of computers that cooperate to achieve common goals, appearing as a single coherent system to end users.

Key Concepts

• Node Independence: Each computer acts autonomously but contributes to a collective goal
• Network Latency: Data transfer takes time, requiring asynchronous design patterns
• Fault Tolerance: Systems must degrade gracefully when nodes fail

Practical Example

```python
# Simple consensus algorithm 
values = [3, 2, 2, 3, 3]
result = max(set(values), key=values.count)
print(f"Cluster decided on value: {result}")
```
                    

This toy example shows how nodes might reach consensus in a distributed system using a majority voting pattern.

Interactive Demo