Cloud Infrastructure

January 31, 2024

Overview

Cloud Infrastructure can be thought of as building blocks, puzzle pieces, or primitives. They connect together in a variety of ways, predominantly based on their categories, such as Compute or Storage.

Cloud Infrastructure can be categorized several ways. The blog post What is the Cloud? examines the differences between the various super-categories of services: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IAAS), Platform-as-a-Service (PAAS), Software-as-a-Service (SAAS), Function-as-a-Service (FAAS).

There are other ways to break down Cloud Infrastructure. These different categorizations can help to find the best tool for any given task. However, it's important to first examine the full scope of cloud computing, starting from the global scope.

Table of Contents

Categorization: Cloud Infrastructure At Each Level of Scope
Categorization: Traditional
Compute
Containers
Storage
Database
Migration & Transfer
Networking & Content Delivery
Developer Tools
Media Services
Machine Learning
Analytics
Security, Identity, & Compliance
Internet of Things
Categorization: Consumption Model
On-Demand
Reserved Instances
Spot Instances
Next Steps

Categorization: Cloud Infrastructure At Each Level of Scope
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The following blog posts already outline Cloud Infrastructure at various Levels of Scope:

Categorization: Traditional
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Below are the predominant categories for Cloud Infrastructure in Cloud Platforms.

Compute
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Unless you purchase bare-metal machines, what you're purchasing (more like renting) is a part of a machine. In the case of Lambda functions, you're purchasing a part of a machine for a moment in time.

Containers
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What is a Container?

Storage
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File and object storage.

Database
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These are managed database services that take away the overhead of patching and updates to both the DB engine and its underlying OS.

Migration & Transfer
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These are tools for migrating applications, databases, and other workloads to the cloud.

Networking & Content Delivery
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Includes services for networking such as virtual networks, load balancing, DNS, content delivery networks (CDN), and network security features.

Developer Tools
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Tools for CI/CD (Continuous Integration / Delivery), development, and near-realtime analytics.

Management & Governance
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Tools for managing cloud resources, cost monitoring, compliance, and governance.

Media Services
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Services for processing, storing, and delivering digital media content, including video streaming and encoding.

Machine Learning
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Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence services, providing tools for model building, training, and deployment.

Analytics
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Products for data analytics, data warehousing, big data processing, and business intelligence tools.

Security, Identity, & Compliance
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Products for cloud security, identity management, access control, compliance auditing, and encryption.

Application Integration
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Products for integrating various applications, data sources, and systems using tools such as message queues.

Internet of Things
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Services for connecting, managing, and analyzing data from IoT devices.

Categorization: Consumption Model
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On-Demand
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Services are billed without long-term commitments using start and stop times.

Reserved Instances
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Services are reserved for a specific period with upfront payment for cost savings.

Spot Instances
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Services are offered at discounted prices for using excess capacity, using a bidding model.

Serverless
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Services are billed without long-term commitments on a per-usage basis.

Next Steps
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Next steps might involve learning about these tools in greater depth wherever Cloud Platform training is offered, such as: aws.training. Always remember to start small and simple. Serverless products are always the best for small-scale projects. Once workloads increase, it may make sense to move onto On-Demand, followed by Reserved Instances. Cloud Platforms may have Budget tools to help keep track of costs as they rise alongside complexity. Happy building!