ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

NPF (firewall)

Okay, imagine you're playing with a bunch of your friends in a big field. You all want to have fun and stay safe, right? Well, that's what a firewall does for your computer.

You see, your computer is connected to the internet, which is like a super big field with lots of other computers. Some of these computers may have bad intentions and want to do mean things to your computer, just like when someone tries to steal your toys or push you around.

A firewall is like a super strong protective shield that sits between your computer and the internet, just like a fence separates your backyard from the field. It keeps an eye on all the things coming in and going out of your computer, and decides what's allowed and what's not.

When someone from the internet tries to send something to your computer, the firewall checks it out to make sure it's safe. It looks at where the thing is coming from and what it's trying to do. If the firewall sees anything suspicious or harmful, it blocks it and says, "No way, not getting through!"

For example, if someone is trying to send a virus to your computer, the firewall will catch it and throw it away like a superhero catching a bad guy. It keeps you safe by blocking these bad things from coming inside.

But a firewall doesn't just protect you from things outside, it also helps you when you want to go out and play on the internet. It checks the things you want to send outside to make sure they are okay too.

Imagine you want to send a picture to your friend. Before you do that, your firewall takes a quick look at the picture to make sure it's not secretly hiding anything harmful. If everything looks good, it lets the picture go out and play with your friend's computer.

So you see, a firewall is like a super guard that protects your computer from bad things on the internet and makes sure you can play safely with your friends. It's like having your own special security fence around your computer!