Droplets Client: The thin, invisible, generic engine for all Droplets applications
The Droplets Client is an extremely thin engine that is invisible to the end-user, and presents all Droplets GUIs with very little cost to the client-side computer, and with zero application download. Placing the Droplets Client does require one small, one-time download (~1MB); thereafter, no application downloads are required and all upgrades are automatic on application startup. The Client contains no application-specific software; just as all Web pages can be viewed through a Web browser, all Droplets can be viewed with the same Droplets Client.

The Client has two major responsibilities: the presentation of the GUI and the reporting of user events to the UI Server. To accomplish this, all that is necessary is a 1-2k text file called a "DRP", which holds essential information like the URL of the UI Server, the port over which to communicate and the name of the Droplet to present. In addition, the Client listens for desktop alerts from the server in the form of system tray icons, pop-up windows and/or sound alerts, which can be posted to the client machine even when the Droplets application is closed.

Droplets typically run as standalone applications from the desktop. To accomplish this, the Droplets Client executable must be installed on the user's computer. Once this client is installed once, the computer is "Droplets-enabled" and can run any and all Droplets without further configuration. Users can also run Droplets directly from the Web, causing the browser to download a client applet (~100k) automatically. This gives end-users the freedom to access their Droplets from any connected device in the world with no Client download, provided they have proper authentication credentials.

Another important aspect of the Droplets Client is its ability to support a "Dripline", a desktop alert which allows the UI Server to contact a Client whenever the state of a given Droplet has changed. This allows the client to update that Droplet's desktop icon, alerting the user of off-line events such as the receipt of a message in Droplets Email or the posting of a new high bid on an online auction watcher.