Distributed computing is an area of computer science that involves breaking down complex computing tasks into smaller sub-tasks and distributing them among multiple computers or nodes in a network. This approach allows for faster processing, improved efficiency, and better fault tolerance. Distributed computing systems can be structured in various ways, such as client-server architecture, peer-to-peer networks, or grid computing. They can also utilize different communication protocols and algorithms to coordinate the tasks and data exchange between nodes. This field is essential for handling the increasing demands of processing data and running applications in modern computing environments, including cloud computing, internet of things (IoT), and big data analytics. Research in distributed computing focuses on developing efficient algorithms, protocols, and architectures to optimize performance, scalability, and reliability of distributed systems.