In computing, an interface is a shared boundary across which two or more separate components of a computer system exchange information. The exchange can be between software, computer hardware, peripheral devices, humans, and combinations of these. Some computer hardware devices, such as a touchscreen, can both send and receive data through the interface, while others such as a mouse or microphone may only provide an interface to send data to a given system.
Hardware interfaces of a laptop computer: Ethernet network socket (center), to the left a part of the VGA port, to the right (upper) a display port socket, to the right (lower) a USB-A socket.
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices, best known for its use with storage devices such as hard disk drives. SCSI was introduced in the 1980s and has seen widespread use on servers and high-end workstations, with new SCSI standards being published as recently as SAS-4 in 2017.
Adaptec ACB-4000A SASI card from 1985
Assorted Parallel SCSI connectors
Bus terminator with top cover removed