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Difference between thin client and thick client

In this article, we will discuss the comparison between thin client and thick client along with their separate discussion. This article will also be very helpful to students with technical backgrounds, as they might see it as a question in their examination.

The basic difference between both terms is that the thin client uses a remote computer for processing an application. Whereas, the thick client does the application processing by itself as it locally runs the applications. Similarly, we will see many differences between thin client and thick client.

Before jumping directly to the comparison, let’s first see a brief description of the terms client, thin client, and thick client.

What is a client?

A client is defined as a program that runs on the local machine, requesting service from the server. It can be a device or a machine. Client has a basic hardware configuration. It is less powerful and used for easy tasks.

There are two types of client – thin client and thick client.

What is a thin client?

A thin client is a lightweight computer that relies on the resources of the host computer. It works by connecting with a remote server, where applications and data are stored. They don’t have storage capability to store user’s data, so the data stores at a remote server from which the thin client is connected to.

In terms of security, they are more secure than thick clients as they have fewer security threats. System management is much easier in thin clients.

Advantages of thin client

The advantages of the thin client are listed as follows –

• It is more secure as it has fewer security threats.
• The hardware cost in thin client is low.
• There is less energy consumption in thin client.
• The maintenance cost in thin client is low.

Disadvantages of thin client

The disadvantages of thin client are listed as follows –

• There is no offline working.
• There is a constant communication with server is required. If a server goes down, data collection is halted.

What is a thick client?

The thick client relies lightly upon the server and provides rich functionality. The majority of data processing is performed by thick clients. They are also called as heavy or fat clients. In terms of security, they are less secure than thin client as they have more security threats.

They are not dependent upon the applications of server as they have their own software applications and operating system.

Advantages of thick client

The advantages of thick client are given as follows –

• Offline working is possible in thick client. It is a better option if the network is slow. It may work without any internet connection or can work with a slow internet connection.
• It has better multimedia performance.
• Thick client reduces the server demand as all data stored locally.

Disadvantages of thick client

The disadvantages of thick client are given as follows –

• It is less secure.
• Deployment in thick client is expensive.

Thin client v/s Thick client

Now, let’s see the comparison between thin client and thick client. We are comparing both terms on the basis of some characteristics.

S.no.	On the basis of	Thin Client	Thick Client
1.	Basic	Thin client is a lightweight computer that relies on the resources of the host computer.	The thick client relies lightly upon the server and provides rich functionality.
2.	Datastore	In thin client, data is stored in servers.	In thick client, data is stored locally.
3.	Network Latency	In thin client, a fast and robust network connection is required.	It can work with a slow network connection.
4.	Offline working	There is no offline working.	Offline working is possible in thick client.
5.	Deployment	The deployment is easier in thin client.	Unlike the thin client, the deployment in thick client is expensive.
6.	Data validation	In thin client, the data verification is done at server side.	In thick client, the data verification is done at client side.
7.	Local resources	It generally consumes less local resources.	Unlike thin client, it consumes more local resources.
8.	Security	In terms of security, they are more secure than thick clients as they have fewer security threats.	In terms of security, they are less secure than thin clients as they have more security threats.

So, that’s all about the article. Hope it will be helpful and informative to you.

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