What is a firmware?

What is a firmware?

A firmware is a program that is coded and embedded into the hardware of various electronic devices to help the devices and computers operate efficiently. Firmware contains a program that has instructions to help the computer hardware to start up, communicate with other hardware devices installed and perform basic input and out operations etc. Firmware is installed on various devices like cameras, mobile phones, network cards, USB storage, optical drives, printers, routers, scanners, and television remotes so they can rely on firmware built into their memory to function smoothly.

For example, computer monitors, need to decode the digital signal that is sent over via an HDMI or VGA cable to produce the display output to the users and it is done so with the help of an inbuilt firmware in the monitors that instructs the monitors what to do and how to do. Similarly, the inbuilt settings of monitors, it is run by the firmware embedded inside the monitors.

Firmware does not usually sit on a hard drive or an SSD like how other software and operating systems instead usually is in dedicated memory chips that are integrated into the computer/ electronic hardware. Manufacturers often provide firmware updates to their computers like desktops for example to provide support for new CPUs and hardware components. Firmware operates in a similar way to device drivers. However, firmware is stored directly on the hardware device, whereas drivers are installed in the device’s operating system. Firmware can also start up by itself, while drivers remain reliant on the operating system.

Note: When updating your firmware be cautious since due to any reason the update fails in between then there is a high chance the firmware gets corrupted which will lead to bricking the device since a corrupted firmware cannot be repaired like an operating system or software.