We can also distinguish networks by their structure. Many early networks followed a client-server model, in which the network is partitioned between providers of resources, called servers, and multiple nodes requesting services, called clients. Management and authentication are also centralized on such networks. At the time, specialized server software required more powerful computers than the typical desktop user had, and this type of partitioning made sense.

Later on, as desktop computers became more powerful, peer-to-peer networks, in which workloads are divided between peers, became more prevalent. In such a network, each peer can be a consumer and a provider of resources, and there is no centralized administration.