INTRODUCTION

Thick client applications vary from simple stand alone (Thin Client) application to complex application (Thick Client) with contribution to business logic layer but these come with added risks compared to the web application, Thick clients provide full access of the application at client side and also store data on client side.

To test thick clients automated testing is not enough, we also need a lot of skillful manual testing, which can be assisted by specialized tools as given thick client can have a large attack surface like client, server, network, storage access and also the underlying operating system environment also adds potential threat to the application execution.

💧 Thin Client

"A thin client is a lightweight computer that has been optimized for establishing a remote connection with a server-based computing environment. The server does most of the work, which can include launching software programs, crunching numbers, and storing data. This contrasts with a fat client or a conventional personal computer; the former is also intended for working in a client–server model, but has significant local processing power, while the latter aims to perform its function mostly locally."[1]

💦 Thick Client

"A fat client (also called heavy, rich or thick client) is a computer (client), in client–server architecture or networks, that typically provides rich functionality independent of the central server. Originally known as just a "client" or "thick client,"the name is contrasted to thin client, which describes a computer heavily dependent on a server application. A fat client may be described as having a rich user interaction".[1]

🧩 Architecture

Thick clients are three tier application comprised of a client, server/business logic layer and Databases. where they perform most of their processing at client side on the other hand thin clients rely completely on server and just provide a UI for clients to interact. These clients use HTTP,UDB or Sockets to communicate with the server.

Thin Client and Thick Client [2]

[1] Wikipedia

[2] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thin_Client-Thick_Client.jpg