What is the difference between a glass fuse, a blade fuse and a circuit breaker?
All three break the circuit on overcurrent; what differs is the body, the durability and the reusability. A glass fuse is cheap but weak against vibration and moisture. The ATO/ATC blade fuse is the standard of vehicle wiring, in the 1-40 A range and colour coded. A circuit breaker does not melt away, it is reset with a lever or a button; it is preferred on lines that need frequent intervention.
The choice is determined by the environment of use.
Glass fuse: a wire inside a cylindrical glass body. Cheap and widespread, but the metal caps held onto the glass body by pressure loosen under vibration; when the end caps oxidise the contact resistance rises. It is reasonable inside a closed device in a protected holder; it is not preferred in installations outside the vehicle.
ATO/ATC blade fuse: the de facto standard of vehicle DC wiring. The two blade terminals seat firmly in the holder, it is vibration resistant, colour coded and in the 1-40 A range. ATC has a closed body and is at an advantage over ATO in damp environments. For high currents, larger-bodied types of the same family are used.
Circuit breaker: trips with a thermal or magnetic mechanism and is then reset. Its advantage is that it needs no consumable and can serve as an isolator at hand. Its disadvantage is that it is a mechanical device: its contacts age, its response time differs from that of a melting fuse, and it is larger and more expensive for the same current rating.
The common rule does not change for any of the three types: the protection rating is chosen to suit the cable. If a fuse is blowing, find the cause before changing its type or rating. A circuit breaker that is reset again and again is the easiest way to hide a fault.
The full topic: Installation, redundancy and field continuity