Slutsystemen

Slutsystemen is a term used in Swedish IT and systems engineering to denote the endpoints of a system—the devices and processes that interact with users, sensors, or other external entities. The word combines slut (end) and system, emphasizing the boundary role of these elements relative to the core network or central services.

In computer networks, slutsystemen are the end hosts: computers, servers, mobile devices, sensors, or actuators that generate or consume data and communicate via common protocols such as TCP/IP, HTTP, and MQTT. Each slutsystem typically has an address (for example, an IP address) and an interface through which it sends and receives information. Security and reliability at the endpoints are crucial, including authentication, encryption, access controls, and the monitoring of activity.

In distributed systems and cloud architectures, slutsystemen refer to client processes and the servers or services they interact with. The concept also appears in edge computing, where endpoints perform computation close to the data source to reduce latency or bandwidth use.

Relation to the core: slutsystemen connect to core network elements like routers, switches, and data centers and depend on the underlying infrastructure for routing, naming, and security services. Understanding endpoints is essential for architectural design, performance tuning, and security planning.