Bower is a package manager for front-end web development that simplifies the process of managing libraries and dependencies. It allows developers to easily install, update, and manage JavaScript and CSS components, making it easier to build and maintain web applications. Bower focuses on managing client-side libraries, ensuring that developers can quickly access the tools they need. Bower was created to address the challenges of managing multiple libraries in web projects. It works by using a simple command-line interface and a configuration file called bower.json, which lists the required packages. Although it has been largely replaced by newer tools like npm and Yarn, Bower played a significant role in the evolution of front-end development.