Dynamic distributed service location discovery

A method for facilitating discovery of services for clients at respective service endpoints in a distributed system, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a designated access point computer in a cluster, a service discovery request from a client, wherein a service corresponding to the service discovery request is hosted at a service endpoint and is accessible over a network, the service comprising a resource accessible over a network that is usable to perform a function for the client;
• resolving, at the designated access point computer, a next network endpoint corresponding to a network hop on a route to the service endpoint for the service by using at least a registry stored at the designated access point computer, wherein the service endpoint of the service is determined based at least in part upon the registry stored at the designated access point computer;
• and
• receiving, from the next network endpoint or the service endpoint, a response comprising address information provided by the service endpoint, wherein the address information is usable by the client to directly access the service at the service endpoint.

A system for facilitating discovery of services for clients at respective service endpoints in a distributed system, comprising:

• a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions;
• and
• a processor that executes the sequence of instructions, execution of the sequence of instruction causing a set of acts, the set of acts comprising,
• receiving, at a designated access point computer in a cluster, a service discovery request from a client, wherein a service corresponding to the service discovery request is hosted at a service endpoint and is accessible over a network, the service comprising a resource accessible over a network that is usable to perform a function for the client;
• resolving, at the designated access point computer, a next network endpoint corresponding to a network hop on a route to the service endpoint for the service by using at least a registry stored at the designated access point computer, wherein the service endpoint of the service is determined based at least in part upon the registry stored at the designated access point computer;
• and
• receiving, from the next network endpoint or the service endpoint, a response comprising address information provided by the service endpoint, wherein the address information is usable by the client to directly access the service at the service endpoint.