02 Types of Cloud Computing Services
Cloud Service Models
Cloud computing services are commonly categorized into three major models:
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS),
- Platform as a Service (PaaS),
- Software as a Service (SaaS).
Each model offers a different level of abstraction, control, and management responsibility.
01. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
IaaS provides the foundational building blocks of cloud IT. It offers networking, compute, and storage resources with the highest level of flexibility and control for the customer.
Characteristics
- Customers manage the OS, runtime, and applications.
- Cloud provider manages physical hardware and virtualization.
- Closest parallel to traditional on-premises infrastructure.
Examples
- Amazon EC2 – Virtual servers
- Amazon VPC – Networking environment
- Amazon EBS – Block storage
- Amazon S3 – Object storage (when used as raw storage)
02. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
PaaS abstracts away infrastructure management so teams can focus on application development, deployment, and lifecycle management. It removes the need of organization to manage the underlying infrastructure.
Characteristics
- No need to manage servers or operating systems.
- Ideal for rapid development and automated scaling.
- Cloud provider manages the platform layer.
Examples
- AWS Elastic Beanstalk – Application deployment
- AWS Lambda – Serverless compute
- Amazon API Gateway – Managed API service
- AWS Fargate – Serverless containers
03. Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS delivers fully managed, ready-to-use applications run and managed entirely by the cloud provider.
Characteristics
- No infrastructure or platform concerns.
- Users simply access the application.
- Updates, maintenance, and scaling are handled by the provider.
Examples
- Amazon WorkMail – Managed email service
- Amazon Chime – Communications and meetings
- Amazon QuickSight – Business intelligence as SaaS
Summary Table
| Layer | Customer Manages | Provider Manages | Example AWS Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps | Hardware, virtualization | EC2, VPC, EBS |
| PaaS | Applications | OS, platform, scaling | Lambda, Beanstalk, API Gateway |
| SaaS | Only usage | Everything else | WorkMail, Chime, QuickSight |
