Cloud Computing

What is cloud computing?

Have you heard about cloud computing? It's a way to get IT resources like computing power, storage, and databases without owning or maintaining physical data centers and servers. You can use the Internet to access these resources from a cloud provider as you need them. And the best part? You only pay for what you use. Pretty cool, right?

Characteristics of cloud computing

• Pay as you go - Rest assured that your charges will be based solely on the amount of usage and the duration of your code's execution. You can be confident that you will not be charged any additional or unnecessary fees.

• Autoscaling - The number of currently functioning servers can vary based on the amount of requests or usage they are receiving. This means that the number of operational servers may either increase or decrease depending on

  the level of demand they are experiencing at any given time.

• Serverless - Provides the convenience of writing and deploying code without worrying about the complexities of the underlying infrastructure, namely the server. With this capability, developers can focus solely on the code they produce, allowing for a more efficient and streamlined development process.

Types of cloud computing or service models

• Infrastructure as a Service [IaaS]: The provider offers virtual servers, storage, and management tools as part of their Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offering. It simplifies network infrastructure management by abstracting low-level details like computing resources, data partitioning, and security. Examples include AWS, Digital Ocean, Rackspace, etc.

• Platform as a Service [PaaS]: These tools on a provider's infrastructure let users deploy applications and programming tools onto the cloud, but they can't control the underlying infrastructure like servers or storage. They can only manage the deployed applications and their settings. Examples include Godaddy and Salesforce.

• Software as a Service [SaaS]: These software applications are user-friendly types of software that can be accessed through the Internet. The service provider handles the management and maintenance so users can access applications and services without technical complexities. An example is Gmail.

Cloud deployment models

• Public Cloud: A public cloud provides resources to the general public via the Internet. These resources may be offered as a paid subscription or free of charge.

• Private Cloud: A private cloud is a network that provides services exclusively to a select group of individuals. It is an infrastructure that is owned by one organization and can be managed either by its employees or an external entity. The hosting of this network can be done internally or externally.

• Hybrid Cloud: A hybrid cloud model combines elements of both public and private clouds. It consists of a public cloud and a private environment, such as a private cloud or on-premises resources, that remain separate but are connected to provide the advantages of multiple deployment options. Hybrid cloud can also refer to the ability to link collocation, managed, and dedicated services with cloud resources.

Benefits of Cloud

The cloud offers numerous advantages.

• You no longer have to guess about the capacity.

• Avoid huge capital investments upfront.

• You pay for only what you use.

• Expand your reach worldwide in just minutes.

• Deliver faster.

• Achieving scalability and flexibility

• Saving on Costs.

• Improving Collaboration

• Advanced security

Some examples of cloud service providers

• Digital Ocean

• Microsoft Azure

• Google Cloud Provider(GCP)

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)

• Oracle Cloud

• Linode

• Heroku

• VMware

• IBM Cloud

• Rackspace