A distributed system is a collection of independent computers or components located on different networked machines that work together to achieve a common goal. These systems coordinate by communicating and sharing resources over a network, making the entire setup appear as a single coherent system to the user. Key characteristics of distributed systems include:

• Resource sharing: Sharing hardware, software, or data resources.
• Simultaneous processing: Multiple machines processing tasks at the same time.
• Scalability: Ability to add more machines to increase computing capacity.
• Fault tolerance: The system continues to operate even if some components fail.
• Transparency: Hiding the complexity of the distributed nature from users.

Distributed systems remove central bottlenecks or single points of failure, improving reliability and performance. Examples include cloud computing, peer- to-peer networks, and microservices architectures. Overall, distributed systems enable complex tasks to be performed efficiently by leveraging multiple computing nodes that collaborate seamlessly across different locations and hardware.