P2P

Peer-to-peer (P2P) refers to communication directly between computers or devices on a network, rather than using a central hub or server.

P2P is perhaps most commonly known from file sharing technologies such as BitTorrent, which is used to distribute large files such as open-source application install packages.

In this scenario, P2P allows users to download portions of a file from one or more other 'peers' who may already have the file, making for a speedier download and also avoids the situation where a single download server may become overloaded during peaks in demand.

P2P has also been made notorious because some users have made copyright material like as music or video available on various P2P networks.

The decentralised nature of P2P networks can make it difficult to find out who is responsible for posting such material, or stopping such abuse.