Peer-to-Peer (P2P)
Also known as: P2P Network, Decentralized Network, Node-to-Node Communication
A decentralized communication model where participants interact directly without intermediaries.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) refers to a network model where nodes or participants interact directly, without relying on a central server or authority. In blockchain, P2P networks enable decentralized consensus, transaction propagation, and data sharing. Each node has equal privileges, contributing to the resilience, censorship resistance, and scalability of decentralized systems. P2P is the backbone of systems like Bitcoin, Ethereum, BitTorrent, and IPFS. It contrasts with client-server models, which are more centralized and prone to single points of failure.