We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
All The Science
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Engineering

What is a Distributed Algorithm?

By Jessica Reed
Updated May 21, 2024
Our promise to you
All The Science is dedicated to creating trustworthy, high-quality content that always prioritizes transparency, integrity, and inclusivity above all else. Our ensure that our content creation and review process includes rigorous fact-checking, evidence-based, and continual updates to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Editorial Standards

At All The Science, we are committed to creating content that you can trust. Our editorial process is designed to ensure that every piece of content we publish is accurate, reliable, and informative.

Our team of experienced writers and editors follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure the highest quality content. We conduct thorough research, fact-check all information, and rely on credible sources to back up our claims. Our content is reviewed by subject-matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

We believe in transparency and maintain editorial independence from our advertisers. Our team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers, allowing us to create unbiased content that prioritizes your interests.

A distributed algorithm is a specific type of algorithm used on computer software that must use various, interconnected processors. The distributed algorithm is responsible for running different parts of the algorithm at the same time, each on a different processor. The processors must then communicate with each other for the software to run properly.

To understand the distributed algorithm, it's easiest to examine what a typical algorithm is. An algorithm is a defined process that outlines from start to finish the steps that must be taken to complete the desired process or solve a problem. For example, an algorithm for mailing a letter would go something along the lines of:

1. Get envelope
2. Open envelope
3. Insert letter
4. Close envelope
5. Attach stamp

This would continue until the process has been completed. Certain steps may branch off into other steps. These would tell the person what to do if he could not complete one of the main steps and would eventually lead him back to the original algorithm. The important thing is that the algorithm must eventually have an end no matter which path the person takes to reach it.

Technically anything that is a defined process can be an algorithm, such as the above example for mailing a letter. A computer algorithm is an algorithm designed to tell the computer what to do. It has a beginning and an ending step with several steps in between. It helps the computer perform an action and instructs it what to do if something goes wrong. If a file the computer needs is missing, it might instruct it to skip that step or perform an alternate step in its place.

The difference between an algorithm and a distributed algorithm is simply that the distributed algorithm is designed to run on separate processors while a regular computer algorithm would not be. Each processor is performing a different part of the overall algorithm at the same time and then submitting the results.

There are several problems that occur when using distributed algorithms. One of the processors could fail, causing that part of the algorithm to stop working. There could also be a communication problem between processors which would keep the distributed algorithm from reaching the end of the process. Many programmers study distributed algorithms to find out ways to overcome these problems and ensure the algorithm is completed even if there is a technical error.

All The Science is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
See our Editorial Process Share Feedback

Related Articles

Discussion Comments
All The Science, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

All The Science, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.