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The Difference(s) between Distributed Systems and Decentralized Systems
Fastly’s servers are distributed. Therefore, it’s decentralized…right?
Wrong.
A distributed system does not necessarily equate to a decentralized one. In fact, more often than not — it definitively doesn’t.
After I published this article discussing the global Internet outage on June 8, there were a few people who argued that decentralization was what failed the world that day.
Whilst I sincerely enjoy healthy debate, and do see the value in such lines of argumentation, I have to politely disagree with the many assumptions built into them.
First off, let’s not throw the term ‘decentralized’ around so loosely, and apply it to anything and everything having a semblance of distribution.
Decentralization is a very loaded term, multifaceted and multidisciplinary, and it should never be conflated with distribution or high availability. The latter constitutes purely technical terms, whilst the former includes political and/or socio-economic concepts like representation, (diffusion of) power, and authority.
It is very important that we understand, and factor in, these nuances when dealing with such terms. They are not one and the same.
