What is the Difference Between Interrupt and Trap?

The main difference between an interrupt and a trap lies in their origins and purposes. Here are the key differences:

• Origin: A trap is a software-generated interruption triggered by an exception in a user process, such as division by zero, invalid memory access, or a breakpoint. In contrast, an interrupt is an asynchronous event triggered by a hardware device, such as a keyboard, timer, or other device.
• Purpose: Traps are used to manage errors and exceptions that occur during the execution of a program. Interrupts, on the other hand, are used to manage input/output operations and hardware events.
• Handling: When a trap occurs, the control is passed to the trap handler, which executes the necessary actions and returns control to the process. In the case of an interrupt, the control is passed to the interrupt handler, which performs the relevant interrupt handler procedure.
• Synchronicity: Traps are synchronous, meaning they may occur after the execution of an instruction. Interrupts are asynchronous, meaning they can occur at any time.

In summary, traps and interrupts are two essential components of an operating system that allow the CPU to manage exceptions and external events. While traps are software-generated and used to manage errors and exceptions, interrupts are hardware-generated and used to manage input/output operations and hardware events.

Comparative Table: Interrupt vs Trap

The main difference between an interrupt and a trap lies in their origin. Here is a comparison table highlighting the differences between the two:

Interrupts can be generated by hardware or software components, whereas traps are initiated by user programs to invoke the functionality of the operating system. Traps are synchronous events that occur when an exception happens in a user process, such as division by zero or invalid memory access. In contrast, interrupts are responses to external events, such as I/O operations or hardware components.