IaaS vs PaaS: What's the difference?

Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-service?(PaaS) are two popular cloud computing models that allow businesses to outsource the infrastructure and platform required to build, run, and manage applications. Both are growing rapidly with Gartner forecasting IaaS + PaaS enterprise IT spend at 26% CAGR over the next 3 years.

Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS)

IaaS providers offer infrastructure resources such as servers, storage, and networking, which can be accessed and configured through a web-based interface or API. This allows businesses to scale their infrastructure resources as needed, without the need to invest in physical hardware.

IaaS Advantages

• Flexibility: IaaS offers a high level of flexibility and customization, as businesses can choose and configure their own infrastructure resources such as servers, storage, and networking.
• Control: With IaaS, businesses have more control over their infrastructure and can choose the specific resources and configurations that best meet their needs.
• Scalability: IaaS allows businesses to easily scale their infrastructure resources up or down as needed, without the need to purchase and maintain physical hardware.
• Cost-effectiveness: IaaS can be more cost-effective than purchasing and maintaining physical infrastructure, as businesses only pay for the resources they use on a pay-as-you-go basis.

IaaS Vendors

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Microsoft Azure
• Alibaba Elastic Compute Service
• Google Cloud

Platform-as-a-service?(PaaS)

PaaS providers go a step further by offering a complete platform for building, deploying, and managing applications. This includes not only infrastructure resources, but also tools and frameworks for developing and deploying applications, as well as management and monitoring tools.

PaaS Advantages

• Ease of use: PaaS provides a complete platform for building, deploying, and managing applications, which can be easier to use than managing infrastructure resources directly.
• Time-saving: PaaS eliminates the need for businesses to spend time and resources setting up and maintaining infrastructure, allowing them to focus on building and managing their applications.
• Testing and experimentation: PaaS allows businesses to easily try out new technologies and platforms without the upfront investment, making it a useful tool for testing and experimentation.
• Managed services: PaaS providers often offer a range of managed services such as monitoring, backup, and security, which can save businesses time and resources.

PaaS Vendors

• AWS Elastic Beanstalk
• Heroku
• Google App Engine
• Red Hat OpenShift

Tradeoffs

Both IaaS and PaaS have their own set of trade-offs and considerations. IaaS may offer more flexibility and control, but requires more management and maintenance. PaaS may be easier to use, but may also have more limitations and may be more expensive.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the choice between IaaS and PaaS will depend on the specific needs and goals of a business. Both models can be useful tools for building and managing applications in the cloud, and the right choice will depend on the unique needs and priorities of each business.