A network distance prediction method, comprising: measuring, by a to-be-positioned node in a network coordinate system, network distances between the to-be-positioned node and at least two reference nodes, to determine initial values of at least some elements in a local distance matrix, wherein an element Qij in the local distance matrix is used to record an initial value of a network distance between a node corresponding to a row i and a node corresponding to a column j of the local distance matrix, wherein the determined initial values of the network distances between the to-be-positioned node and the at least two reference nodes are recorded in a first element set of the local distance matrix, wherein i and j are integers greater than or equal to 0; constructing, by the to-be-positioned node, the local distance matrix based on the determined initial values of the at least some elements wherein values of at least some elements in the local distance matrix are 0; performing, by the to-be-positioned node, low-rank sparse factorization on the constructed local distance matrix, to obtain a low-rank matrix, according to a constraint condition that the local distance matrix is equal to a sum of the low-rank matrix, a sparse matrix, and a target matrix, and values of at least some elements in the target matrix are 0; obtaining, by the to-be-positioned node, values of elements in a first element set of the low-rank matrix, to use the values as target values of the network distances between the to-be-positioned node and the at least two reference nodes; communicating, by the to-be-positioned node, with the at least two reference nodes, to obtain coordinates of the at least two reference nodes in the network coordinate system; and determining, by the to-be-positioned node, coordinates of the to-be-positioned node in the network coordinate system based on the target values of the network distances between the to-be-positioned node and the at least two reference nodes and the coordinates of the at least two reference nodes in the network coordinate system, wherein the determined coordinates of the to-be-positioned node in the network coordinate system are used to predict a network distance between the to-be-positioned node and a target node, wherein the target node is any node in the network coordinate system except the to-be-positioned node. measuring, by a to-be-positioned node in a network coordinate system, network distances between the to-be-positioned node and at least two reference nodes, to determine initial values of at least some elements in a local distance matrix, wherein an element Qij in the local distance matrix is used to record an initial value of a network distance between a node corresponding to a row i and a node corresponding to a column j of the local distance matrix, wherein the determined initial values of the network distances between the to-be-positioned node and the at least two reference nodes are recorded in a first element set of the local distance matrix, wherein i and j are integers greater than or equal to 0; constructing, by the to-be-positioned node, the local distance matrix based on the determined initial values of the at least some elements wherein values of at least some elements in the local distance matrix are 0; performing, by the to-be-positioned node, low-rank sparse factorization on the constructed local distance matrix, to obtain a low-rank matrix, according to a constraint condition that the local distance matrix is equal to a sum of the low-rank matrix, a sparse matrix, and a target matrix, and values of at least some elements in the target matrix are 0; obtaining, by the to-be-positioned node, values of elements in a first element set of the low-rank matrix, to use the values as target values of the network distances between the to-be-positioned node and the at least two reference nodes; communicating, by the to-be-positioned node, with the at least two reference nodes, to obtain coordinates of the at least two reference nodes in the network coordinate system; and determining, by the to-be-positioned node, coordinates of the to-be-positioned node in the network coordinate system based on the target values of the network distances between the to-be-positioned node and the at least two reference nodes and the coordinates of the at least two reference nodes in the network coordinate system, wherein the determined coordinates of the to-be-positioned node in the network coordinate system are used to predict a network distance between the to-be-positioned node and a target node, wherein the target node is any node in the network coordinate system except the to-be-positioned node.