Soft route is with the use of a desktop or server software to form a routing solution, mainly by software settings to reach the router function; while the hard route is based on use of special hardware devices, including the processor, power supply, embedded software, Setting the router functionality provided.

Software router is not complicated, very simple, normal operation will use PC software can be installed on the route, as the name suggests is the system software setup routing function

Depending on the different operations can be divided based on the windows platform and software-based routers Linux / bsd platform development, based on the Windows platform software firewall more common ISA Server, Winroute Firewall, Internet behavior management soft grass routes, etc. Some of these software is commercialized, usually based on the number of authorized users of different charges and different, the cost of buying genuine software firewall for many small and medium enterprises is undoubtedly spending a small fortune, grass Internet behavior management software-based routing is limited windows platform and also hit a soft free routing software; and based on Unix / Linux platform software firewall we generally less contact, to benefit from open source operation, currently based on Unix / Linux platform software firewall mushroomed continue to introduce these Most software firewall is free, a common sea spiders, ikuai8, RouterOS, m0n0Wall, SmoothWall, Ipcop, CoyoteLinux [1], etc. These systems are characterized by low total general hardware requirements, or even just need a 486 computer, a floppy disk, you can install two cards out of a very professional software firewall, which has eliminated a lot of friends down the low-end computers, means to take one out of the computer, install a free firewall software, do not spend a penny on DIY out a professional firewall, and these systems also include NAT function itself, and can achieve broadband sharing, which means that this free firewall is actually a good broadband router, this is how exciting things, but for now, this kind of free software route is usually inserted in order to survive or because of excessive advertising leads to dissatisfied users.