What’s the difference between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS?

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), and SaaS (Software as a Service) represent three distinct models of cloud computing, each offering a different level of control, management, and flexibility to the user. Here’s a breakdown of the differences:

### IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)

– What it Provides: IaaS offers virtualized computing resources over the internet. It provides users with basic infrastructure components such as virtual server space, network connections, and bandwidth.

– User Control: Users have control over the operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and in some instances, limited control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).

– Use Cases: Ideal for companies that want to build applications from scratch with maximum flexibility and control over their environments without the expense and complexity of buying and managing the physical hardware.

### PaaS (Platform as a Service)

– What it Provides: PaaS provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications without dealing with the complexity of building and maintaining the underlying infrastructure usually associated with the process.

– User Control: Users control the deployed applications and possibly the application hosting environment configurations. However, the underlying infrastructure (servers, operating systems) is managed by the PaaS provider.

– Use Cases: Best suited for developers who want to concentrate on the development of their software or applications without being bogged down by tasks such as managing software updates or security patches.

### SaaS