Hardware

Hardware is a general term that refers to the physical artifacts of a technology. It may also mean the physical components of a computer system.

Hardware historically meant the metal parts and fittings that were used to make wooden products stronger, more functional, longer lasting and easier to fabricate or assemble. In modern usage it includes equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, corners, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts, especially when they are made of metal. In the United States, this type of hardware has been traditionally sold in hardware stores, a term also used to a lesser extent in the UK.

In the electronics and especially computer industries, computer hardware specifically means the physical or tangible parts of the equipment, such as circuit boards, keyboards, monitors etc., in contrast to non-physical software running on the computer or other device.

In a more colloquial sense, hardware can refer to major items of military equipment, such as tanks, aircraft or ships.