Hardware Firewall

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A Hardware Firewall is a physical device similar to a server that filters traffic to a computer. Instead of plugging the network cable into the server, it is connected to the firewall, positioning the firewall between the uplink and the computer. Like a standard computer with a processor, memory, and sophisticated software, these devices also employ powerful networking components (hardware and software) and force all traffic traversing that connection to be inspected by configurable rulesets which grant or deny access accordingly.

Hardware Firewalls use packet filtering to examine the header of a packet to determine its source and destination. This information is compared to a set of predefined or user-created rules that determine whether the packet is to be forwarded or dropped.https://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Hardware_Software/firewall_types.asp

Source: https://www.liquidweb.com/blog/hardware-firewalls-an-overview-of-benefits-and-how-they-keep-you-secure/