The "n" in n-tier basically means "a number you choose", so you could called it multiple-tier architecture. Normally, this manifests itself in three tiers. Display, Logic and Data.
This could be implemented in many different ways, as you mention - you've seen it in action where the web page has the display function, a web service has the logic function and the database satisfies the data tier.
N-Tier is an architecture, so it can be applied to any language / technology. It isn't quite a design pattern, but the principle behind it is the separation of concerns between data, logic and presentation. The difference between N-Tier architecture and a design pattern is that with N-Tier, it is describing a physical hardware separation as well as code-unit separation. A design pattern would be concerned about the code design, but not the server design.
manpreet![Tuteehub forum best answer]()
Best Answer
2 years ago
I recently came to know that, different Information Technology are also based on N-Tier Architecture.
For example, a Web Technology is usually 3-Tier Architecture: The user, The Web Server and The Database Server. But we also develop various applications in N-tier. What are the difference between these two and how are they related to each other.