An interface may refer to any of the following:

  1. When referring to software, an interface is a program that allows a user to interact computers in person or over a network. An interface may also refer to controls used in a program that allow the user to interact with the program. One of the best examples of an interface is a GUI (Graphical User Interface). This type of interface is what you are using now to navigate your computer and how you got to this page.

  2. When referring to hardware, an interface is a physical device, port, or connection that interacts with the computer or other hardware device. For example, IDE and SATA are disk drive interfaces for computer hard drives and ATAPI is an early interface for CD-ROM drives.

Examples of drive interfaces

The following list is a list of different internal and external interfaces that connect a drive to a computer.

  • ATA
  • ATAPI
  • eSATA
  • FireWire
  • IDE
  • Parallel port
  • SATA
  • SCSI
  • USB

Cable, Hardware terms, HCI, Parallel interface, Port, Software terms, UI

  • Computer disk drive interface help and support.