How do clients differ from servers in terms of processing power?

The distinction between clients and servers regarding processing power is rooted in their respective roles within a network environment. Servers are designed to manage, store, and process vast amounts of data, handle multiple requests from clients, and provide services across the network. This requires a more robust architecture, which generally includes superior processing capabilities, larger memory capacity, and advanced hardware configurations.

In contrast, clients—typically end-user devices like personal computers or mobile devices—are optimized for individual use cases. They are built to perform tasks such as running applications, displaying content, and connecting to servers to access resources. While clients do have processing power, it is generally less than that of servers to allow for efficient resource allocation and to enable the server to manage multiple client requests simultaneously. Thus, the processing power is intentionally balanced to ensure servers can effectively support the client devices they serve.

This architecture emphasizes the importance of centralized resources found in servers, which are essential for maintaining stability, performance, and service in client-server networks.