Let's be real, when it comes to cloud computing, the jargon can be downright confusing. But don't worry, I’m here to help. So get ready cause I’m about to feed you some of that alphabet soup!
PaaS: Platform as a Service 🧁️
Imagine you're a baker and you want to open a bakery. PaaS is like getting a fully equipped kitchen, complete with all the tools and ingredients you need, delivered right to your doorstep. As a baker, you don't need to worry about sourcing the ovens, mixers, and other equipment, you can focus on baking delicious treats. PaaS providers such as Heroku and Google App Engine provide similar services to developers, by giving them a platform to build, run, and manage their applications without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure.
SaaS: Software as a Service 🍕️
This is like ordering a pizza for delivery. The pizza shop (in this case the SaaS provider) makes the pizza and delivers it right to your door (through the internet) and you enjoy it. No need to worry about ingredients or cooking it yourself. SaaS providers like Gmail and Salesforce handle all the necessary maintenance and updates, and you just access the software through a web browser.
IaaS: Infrastructure as a Service 🏠️
It’s like getting a fully furnished apartment on rent. You get the keys to a fully furnished place with all the necessary amenities like electricity, plumbing, and furniture. IaaS providers such as AWS and Microsoft Azure provide virtualized computing resources over the internet such as virtual servers, storage and networking.
FaaS: Function as a Service 👨🍳️
It’s like calling a catering service for your party. You don't need to worry about the kitchen and chefs, you just tell them what you want and they'll take care of it. FaaS providers like AWS Lambda and Google Cloud Functions allow developers to run individual functions or pieces of code without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure.
In conclusion, PaaS provides a platform, SaaS delivers software, IaaS provides infrastructure and FaaS provides function, all of these services are provided on the cloud, so you don't have to worry about the underlying infrastructure and can focus on what's important.
