three-tier

A special type of client/server architecture consisting of three well-defined and separate processes, each running on a different platform:

1. The user interface, which runs on the user's computer (the client).
2. The functional modules that actually process data. This middle tier runs on a server and is often called the application server.
3. A database management system (DBMS) that stores the data required by the middle tier. This tier runs on a second server called the database server.

The three-tier design has many advantages over traditional two-tier or single-tier designs, the chief ones being:

• The added modularity makes it easier to modify or replace one tier without affecting the other tiers.
• Separating the application functions from the database functions makes it easier to implement load balancing.
• Refers to client/server architectures in which the user interface runs on the client and the database is stored on the server. The actual application logic can run on either the client or the server. A newer client/server architecture, called a three-tier architecture introduces a middle tier for the application logic.

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