What is the difference between a virus and a plasmid?

Viruses are noncellular particles. They are comprised of either deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA) which is surrounded by a capsid. A capsid is a protective,
protein shell. Plasmids are molecules of deoxyribonucleic acid which are often circular. Both
plasmids and viruses use a host cell to replicate.

Viruses replicate using the host cell’s machinery. The DNA or RNA of the virus are
replicated by the cell and then leave the cell by lysis, bursting the cell’s membrane. They can
then infect further cells. Plasmids also use the host cell to replicate. The strands of the plasmid
are replicated by DNA polymerase. Unlike viruses, plasmids don’t kill the host cell after they
have replicated. They carry DNA that is beneficial to the host so that they will be inherited when
the cell replicates. An example of this is a plasmid containing antibiotic resistance genes.
Without these the host cell would be killed by the corresponding antibiotic so the plasmid is
inherited to preserve future generations.