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Cloudeasy

IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS — what’s the difference?

Tags
#iaas#paas#saas#cloud-basics
Back to categoryPractice quiz

Answer

IaaS gives you infrastructure (VMs, networks), PaaS gives you a managed runtime/platform (deploy code, provider runs it), and SaaS is a ready-to-use application (you just use it).

Advanced answer

Deep dive

These models describe **who manages which layers** of the stack.

  • **IaaS** (Infrastructure as a Service): you get compute/network/storage primitives (VMs, VPC, disks). You manage OS, runtime, deployments, scaling.
  • Examples: AWS EC2, GCE VMs, Azure VMs.
  • **PaaS** (Platform as a Service): you deploy an app/container; the provider manages runtime, scaling, patching, and often observability.
  • Examples: Heroku, Google App Engine, Azure App Service.
  • **SaaS** (Software as a Service): you consume a finished product; you configure it but don’t operate the platform.
  • Examples: Gmail, Slack, Salesforce.

Trade-offs

  • More control (IaaS) → more operational work.
  • More abstraction (PaaS/SaaS) → faster delivery but less flexibility.

Common pitfalls

Related questions

Cloud
Multi-tenant vs single-tenant SaaS: what's the trade-off?
#cloud#saas#multi-tenant
Cloud
IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS?
#cloud-computing#service-model#iaas
  • Treating PaaS like IaaS and fighting the platform instead of using its primitives.
  • Underestimating shared-responsibility (security, backups, access control still matter).
  • Vendor lock-in concerns: evaluate portability where it matters, not everywhere.