The match head is made of chemicals that ignite at low temperatures. By rubbing the match against a high friction striker, enough heat is produced to ignite the chemicals. The bodies of most matches are either wood or paper. There are two kinds of lighters, those with liquid fuel and those with gaseous fuel, like butane. All lighters ignite the fuel by a spark from a steel wheel spinning against a piece of flint.
Some people use magnesium strikers.
Simply scrape some magnesium into the tinder, then strike the magnesium with a knife blade, forcing sparks onto the magnesium chips. A hot flame is immediately present. Traditionally, fire was made with a bow and drill. The secret of such a firestarting effort is in the tinder. The bow and drill creat enough heat by friction to get the tinder glowing.