> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://documentation.astera.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://documentation.astera.com/astera-data-stack-v10/setting-up/product-architecture.md).
# Product Architecture
Astera Data Stack is built on a client-server architecture. The client is the part of the application which a user can run locally on their machine, whereas the server performs processing and querying requested by the client. In simple words, the client sends a request to the server, and the server, in turn, responds to the request. Therefore, database drivers are installed only on the Astera Data Stack server. This enables horizontal scaling by adding multiple clients to an existing cluster of servers and eliminating the need to install drivers on every machine.
The Astera client and server applications communicate on REST architecture. REST-compliant systems, often called RESTful systems, are characterized by statelessness and separate concerns of the client and server, which means that the implementation of both can be done independently if each side knows what format of messages to send to the other. The server communicates with the client using HTTPS commands, which are encrypted using a certified key/certificate signed by an authority. This saves the data from being intercepted by an attacker as the plaintext is encrypted as a random string of characters.
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