A network application is any application (that is a computer program) that runs in an end-system and communicates with another end-system via a network connection. Network applications are normally sub-classified as either client-server applications or peer-to-peer applications. Whatever the architecture of the application, network applications are distinguished from other applications that might be running on a single end-system (or host) by the fact that part of the application executes as a process in two or more separate hosts and each process communicates by means of a network connection. Examples of network applications are the world-wide web (WWW) which uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) for communication, file transfer protocol (FTP), domain name system (DNS) and e-mail, which uses the protocols SMTP, POP, and IMAP. There are of course many others, with more being invented every day as computing and communications technologies become more ever ubiquitous.

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