Stateful vs Stateless Firewalls

Stateful and Stateless firewalls are two common types of firewall technologies used to protect networks. Here are the key differences between them:

Stateful Firewall:

A stateful firewall maintains a record of the state of active connections and makes decisions based on this information. It keeps track of the state of traffic and can filter packets based on the context of the traffic flow.

Stateless Firewall:

A stateless firewall, on the other hand, filters packets based solely on the pre-defined rules without considering the context of the traffic flow or the state of connections. It does not keep track of the state of active connections.

Key Differences:

• Stateful firewalls are more advanced and can make decisions based on the context of traffic flow, while stateless firewalls filter packets based solely on rules.
• Stateful firewalls provide better security as they can understand the state of connections, while stateless firewalls may be more prone to attacks.
• Stateful firewalls are typically slower than stateless firewalls due to the need to keep track of connection states.

In conclusion, while both stateful and stateless firewalls serve the purpose of protecting networks, stateful firewalls offer more advanced security features by keeping track of connection states.