PaaS vs IaaS vs SaaS vs FaaS. These are all technologies that exist behind the cloud. It’s not uncommon to see people using these terms interchangeably as they can be difficult to differentiate from one another. To know more about PaaS, IaaS, SaaS, FaaS, keep reading.
It is important to understand the difference between these technologies because they can help with decision-making. Let’s start by defining what cloud computing actually means before moving on.
What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is the delivery of different services, such as storage and servers. Click To Tweet
This type of service provides more flexibility than traditional methods because it allows for scalability in terms of size.
- Cloud-native app development and testing
- Data storage, backup, and recovery
- Data analysis
- Audio/video streaming
- Embedded intelligence
- On-demand software delivery
Cloud computing has leveled the playing field for small and medium businesses. They can now take advantage of technologies that would have been too expensive or difficult to manage without hiring a team of IT professionals, at their own cost.
The benefits of cloud computing include:
- Instant access from anywhere
- Instant, easier and better scalability
- Operational agility
- No infrastructure or installation cost
- The service provider takes care of maintenance and most aspects of running the service
- Low upfront cost
- Automatic security and feature updates
- Disaster recovery
- Cloud security features
- Flexibility
- Reduced carbon footprint
Types of Cloud Computing by Deployment
There are many different types of cloud computing services based on their location and what they provide. These include the following: LocationDeployment – Public clouds, which offer a service to everyone regardless of where it is hosted – Private clouds that only host data for one organization or company – Hybrid Clouds that have both public and private elements.
Public Cloud
For the past few years, cloud computing has been one of the most popular ways to get access to services like storage and computation. The data is stored in a remote location with servers that are shared by many people who pay for different packages. It’s an excellent option not just for large companies but also for small businesses or individuals.
Private Cloud
The company that owns the infrastructure has complete control over it and is able to set up or maintain what they need.
Hybrid Cloud
Companies often have to choose between the public and private cloud. The decision is based on what’s most important: control or cost-cutting.
Community cloud
In order to work together for a common goal, organizations will need shared resources.
Types of Cloud Computing by Services
There are many types of cloud computing services. We will focus on IaaS, PaaS, FaaS, and SaaS because these core services allow for other innovations in the industry.
Since we have defined cloud computing, it’s time to discuss PaaS vs IaaS vs SaaS vs FaaS.
IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service)
IaaS is the foundation of cloud-based services. A service provider provides a virtualized infrastructure to users and business individuals rent basic resources from them on top of which they run their apps.
One of the more popular IaaS providers is Amazon Web Services. AWS provides users with virtual servers and storage disks, which are needed to run apps.
Cloud services allow customers to customize their resource usage by installing and managing software such as the OS, middleware, applications, and other development tools. Cloud subscriptions let businesses only pay for what they use so that scaling up or down is easier.
Among the PaaS vs IaaS vs SaaS vs FaaS, IaaS works great for small and medium businesses that can’t afford to spend the time or money on infrastructure setup, as well as large companies who want an outsourced IT department.
The service provider also offers the IT infrastructure, which relieves a lot of pressure from small businesses and allows them to focus on their core business. The company takes care of security updates so that it doesn’t have to worry about hackers or other online threats.
PaaS (Platform as a Service) and Server-less Computing
When it comes to PaaS vs IaaS vs SaaS vs FaaS, PaaS is higher up on the cloud computing pyramid than IaaS. PaaS providers (many I also offer) provide a framework for deploying and managing software, including OSs, development tools, middleware, and DB management systems.
The difference in PaaS vs IaaS vs SaaS vs FaaS is that with PaaS, companies can use tools without investing in them upfront. This saves time and money because the team does not have to wait for hardware before they start work.
The availability of pre-programmed apps means that users don’t have to code everything from scratch, which saves them time and allows their products to be market-ready faster. Serverless computing is a type of PaaS (Platform as a Service) where the provider supplies an environment for software development, testing, delivery, and management on demand.
FaaS (Function as a Service)
FaaS is a way to save developers from having to manage everything that happens below their code. This includes virtual servers, app runtimes, and containers. The FaaS service saves them time by allowing users to trigger blocks of code based on events so the apps only consume resources when needed.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
One of the most popular types of cloud computing services is SaaS, which can be found at the top of a pyramid-shaped diagram. The key difference between this type and others is that it does not require any software to install or maintain on your own computer – you just subscribe for access.
There are a lot of benefits to using SaaS applications. They require no installation and can be set up in minutes, which is great for businesses that need fast scaling capabilities as they grow their operations.
Conclusion
Cloud computing is often associated with sending emails, streaming videos, and editing documents. However, there are a lot of underlying technologies going on in the background that many businesses don’t know about.
Whether you want to create new apps or host your website blog, it’s important for small and medium business owners to understand what type of cloud solutions work best for them. Click To Tweet
I hope you got the clear distinction of PaaS, IaaS, SaaS, and FaaS through this article.
