What is hardware programmer?

A hardware programmer is a device or software that is used to write firmware onto electronic devices such as microcontrollers, flash memory, and other programmable integrated circuits (ICs). A hardware programmer can provide the ability to program devices directly, erase the devices, read from or write to the memory of a device, and even debug issues that may arise during the programming process. Hardware programmers can be found in different forms, including as a standalone device, built into a development board or evaluation kit, or as an add-on module for a computer. Some common types of hardware programmers include In-System Programming (ISP) programmers, Universal Serial Bus (USB) programmers, and Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) programmers. A hardware programmer is commonly used by embedded systems designers, electrical engineers, and software developers.