Types of Interface (System Programming)

Types of Interface:

1. Software Interface

Software interface comprises a set of statements, predefined functions, user options, and other methods of conveying instructions and data obtained from a program or language for programmers.
Access to resources including CPU, memory and storage, etc., is facilitated by software interfaces for the underlying computer system.
While programming, the interface between software components makes use of program and language facilities such as constants, various data types, libraries and procedures, specifications for exception, and method handling.
Operating system provides the interface that allows access to the system resources from applications. This interface is called Application Programming Interface (API). These APIs contain the collection of functions, definitions for type, and constants, and also include some variable definitions. While developing software applications, the APIs can be used to access and implement functionalities.

2. Hardware Interface

Hardware interfaces are primarily designed to exchange data and information among various hardware components of the system, including internal and external devices.
This type of interface is seen between buses, across storage devices and other I/O and peripherals devices.
A hardware interface provides access to electrical, mechanical, and logical signals and implements signaling protocols for reading and sequencing them.
These hardware interfaces may be designed to support either parallel or serial data transfer or both. Hardware interfaces with parallel implementations allow more than one connection to carry data simultaneously, while serial allows data to be sent one bit at a time.
One of the popular standard interfaces is Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) that defines the standards for physically connecting and communicating data between peripherals and computers.

3. User Interface

User interfaces facilitate transfer of data between the user and the computing system.