What are the two primary categories of application firewalls?

What are the two primary categories of application firewalls?

• A. Network-based and Host-based
• B. Cloud-based and On-premises
• C. Software-based and Hardware-based
• D. Virtual and Physical

Answer: (A)

Application firewalls are categorized by where they operate relative to the protected systems: they are either network-based or host-based. A network-based application firewall sits at the network edge or between segments and filters application-layer traffic for all devices behind it, often as an appliance or virtual appliance, providing centralized enforcement across multiple hosts. A host-based application firewall runs directly on a specific server or workstation, enforcing policies for that machine’s applications and protecting the host even if traffic doesn’t traverse a separate network firewall. This distinction affects coverage and management: network-based firewalls protect many hosts from the outside, while host-based firewalls give granular control and visibility on a per-host basis. The other options describe deployment models or form factors, not the primary classification of application firewalls.

Application firewalls are categorized by where they operate relative to the protected systems: they are either network-based or host-based. A network-based application firewall sits at the network edge or between segments and filters application-layer traffic for all devices behind it, often as an appliance or virtual appliance, providing centralized enforcement across multiple hosts. A host-based application firewall runs directly on a specific server or workstation, enforcing policies for that machine’s applications and protecting the host even if traffic doesn’t traverse a separate network firewall. This distinction affects coverage and management: network-based firewalls protect many hosts from the outside, while host-based firewalls give granular control and visibility on a per-host basis. The other options describe deployment models or form factors, not the primary classification of application firewalls.