Overview

A bus is a set of physical connections (wires or traces on a PCB) that allow different parts of a computer to talk to each other. It can be thought of as a highway for data.

Types of Buses

  • Data Bus: Carries the actual data being processed.
  • Address Bus: Specifies where the data should be sent or retrieved from.
  • Control Bus: Carries signals that coordinate the activities of the components.

Examples

  • System Bus: Connects the CPU to the main memory.
  • PCIe: A high-speed expansion bus.
  • USB: A universal serial bus for peripherals.

Related Terms