What is Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

PaaS, or Platform-as-a-Service, is one of the services offered by cloud providers. Software developers can easily build, run and manage applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

Cloud solutions bring together the key building blocks of application development. This simplifies and even automates a number of the more complex and repetitive tasks required to deploy the code. PaaS often includes the orchestration of Kubernetes containers. This article explores PaaS and the possibilities it offers.

What is Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

Like other cloud services, PaaS is available to users over the Internet. It can also be deployed locally or in a hybrid way. The infrastructure with running applications is managed by the cloud provider while the customer decides on the location of the application, the performance, and the level of security.

PaaS building blocks:

• Infrastructure: provided by a cloud provider that manages the servers, storage, data centers, and network resources required to run the application.

• Design, test, and development tools: an integrated development environment is a set of tools that are necessary for the creation of software (source code editor, compiler, and debugger). Sometimes collaborative tools may also be used.

• Middleware: The tools needed to integrate different operating systems and custom applications are usually included in a PaaS solution.

• Operating systems and databases: PaaS provides operating systems for running applications and various types of managed databases.

PaaS or IaaS?

Many developers create their own working environment based on standard IaaS blocks, but for those who want to enter the market quickly, ready-made PaaS solutions are much better.

Platform as a service is a fast way to get started. For start-ups and in highly regulated industries it will be a good option. But if you need flexibility, and the ability to add complexity and develop your workflow, then IaaS solutions are better, because you can customize all the elements to suit your needs.

Advantages and disadvantages of PaaS

One of the key benefits is the ability to build and deploy applications quickly, without the complex long-term setup and maintenance of a working environment. This allows developers to deploy faster and more frequently, and to focus on the business rather than infrastructure deployment issues.

A cloud service provider guarantees a level of service availability and timely technical support. Therefore, developers don't have to worry about regular updates, outages, and configurations. All this is handled by the provider.

In addition, PaaS can be a convenient launching pad for new cloud-based development methodologies and programming languages without the up-front investment in building a new environment.

Most of the risks are related to the loss of control when applications are handed over to a third-party platform provider. These can include information security and storage issues, increased hosting costs, and unplanned downtime. However, with a trusted provider, this is not an issue.

PaaS solutions at Cloud4Y

Cloud4Y offers several platform solutions for its customers.

Kubernetes in the Cloud is a manageable solution for working with clusters. You can get a reliable, scalable infrastructure that is compatible with Kubernetes. Deploy, scale, and manage Kubernetes clusters via the open-source Container Service Extension (CSE) solution.

Cloud databases allow you to quickly deploy and manage database clusters, as well as solve any deployment, configuration, and administration tasks associated with them.

Cloud-native Apache Hadoop is a fast, convenient service for running Apache Hadoop clusters, Spark, and other applications of the Hadoop ecosystem. It is a good solution for handling multi-terabyte arrays of unstructured data from various sources.