Difference Between Hardware and Software

Difference Between Hardware and Software

Parameters	Hardware	Software
Basic Definition	Hardware is a physical part of the computer that causes the processing of data.	Software is a set of instructions that tells a computer exactly what to do.
Development	It is manufactured.	It is developed and engineered.
Dependency	Hardware cannot perform any task without software.	The software can not be executed without hardware.
Process of creating	Electronic and other materials are used to create hardware.	Created by utilizing a computer language to write instructions.
Tangible	Hardware is tangible as hardware is a physical electronic device, that can be touched.	Software is intangible as we can see and also use the software but can’t touch them.
Durability	Hardware typically wears out over time.	The software does not wear out with time. However, it may contain flaws and glitches.
Types	It has four main categories: 1. Input Devices  2. Output Devices  3. Storage Devices  4. Internal Components.	It is mainly divided into 1. System software  2. Application software.
Virus effect	Hardware is not affected by computer viruses.	Software is affected by computer viruses.
Transfer	It cannot be transferred from one place to another electrically through the network.	It can be transferred via a network means.
Machine-Level language	Only machine-level language is known to be understood by hardware.	The program accepts human-readable input, interprets it in machine-level language, and sends it to hardware for additional processing.
Replacement	If the hardware is damaged, it is replaced with a new one.	If the software is damaged, its backup copy can be reinstalled.
Failures	Dust, overheating, humidity, and other factors are commonly responsible for hardware failures.	Overloading, systematic error, major-minor version error, and other factors are commonly responsible for software failures.
Examples	Ex: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Printer, CPU, Hard disk, RAM, ROM, etc.	Ex: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Photoshop, MySQL, etc.