What are the basic types of firewalls?

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Learn the basics of different types of firewalls, the differences between them, and how each type protects your network in different ways.

different types of firewalls

A firewall is a basic but necessary layer of security that acts as a barrier between your private network and the outside world. From first-generation stateless firewalls to next-generation firewalls, firewall architectures have evolved tremendously over the past 40 years. Organizations today can choose from a variety of firewall types, including application-level gateways (proxy firewalls), stateful firewalls, and circuit-level gateways, and can even use multiple types simultaneously for in-depth and comprehensive security solutions.

What is a firewall and what is it used for?

A firewall-type firewall is a security tool that monitors inbound and/or outbound network traffic to detect and block malicious data packets according to predefined rules, allowing only legitimate traffic to enter a private network. Implemented as hardware, software, or both, a firewall is often the first line of defense against malware, viruses, and attackers trying to break into an organization's internal networks and systems.

Much like a metal detector entrance at the front door of a building, a physical or hardware firewall inspects every data packet before it enters. It checks source and destination addresses and checks data packets according to predefined rules. must pass. When data packets are on an organization's intranet, software firewalls can further filter traffic, allowing or blocking access to specific ports and applications on computer systems, providing better control and security against insider threats.

Access Control Lists can identify certain untrusted IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. The firewall will drop all data packets from that IP. Alternatively, you can specify trusted source IPs in your access control list and the firewall will only allow traffic from the listed IPs. There are several ways to set up a firewall. The extent of security you provide often depends on the type of firewall and how it is configured.