Flash Media Server applications use a simple, yet powerful, distributed data model based on shared objects. Both client-side ActionScript and Server-Side ActionScript have a SharedObject class that lets developers share data between clients connected to a server.

There are two types of shared objects: local and remote. Local shared objects are stored on the client computer and remote shared objects are stored on the server. Both local and remote shared objects can be either temporary or persistent.

Local shared objects are like cookies: they save data to a user's computer for offline access, or for saving preferences. Local shared objects are a feature of Flash Player and do not require Flash Media Server.

Remote shared objects are managed and stored by the server. Developers can use remote shared objects for messaging, data synchronization, and storing data. Clients connect to a remote shared object and receive updates whenever a change is made to that shared object. Messages can be sent to all clients connected to a remote shared object.

For more information, see the Developer Guide.