Cloud Service Models
Cloud services come in three main models: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS — each offering a different level of control and management.
30 min•By Priygop Team•Last updated: Feb 2026
IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
Think of cloud service models as a pizza analogy: IaaS is like buying ingredients (you cook everything). PaaS is like ordering a pizza kit (ingredients prepared, you assemble). SaaS is like ordering a delivered pizza (everything done for you). Each model gives you a different level of control vs convenience.
The Three Service Models
- IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) — Virtual machines, storage, networking. You manage OS, runtime, apps. Examples: AWS EC2, Google Compute Engine, Azure VMs
- PaaS (Platform as a Service) — Development platform. Provider manages OS, runtime. You manage apps and data. Examples: Heroku, Google App Engine, AWS Elastic Beanstalk
- SaaS (Software as a Service) — Ready-to-use applications. Provider manages everything. Examples: Gmail, Salesforce, Dropbox, Slack, Zoom
- FaaS (Function as a Service) — Serverless. Run code without managing servers. Examples: AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions
- Responsibility shifts from you to the provider as you go from IaaS → PaaS → SaaS
Service Models Comparison
Example
// What YOU manage vs what the PROVIDER manages
const serviceModels = {
IaaS: {
youManage: ["Application", "Runtime", "Middleware", "OS", "Data"],
providerManages: ["Virtualization", "Servers", "Storage", "Networking"],
example: "AWS EC2 — You get a virtual machine, you install everything",
useCase: "Full control needed, custom OS configurations",
},
PaaS: {
youManage: ["Application", "Data"],
providerManages: ["Runtime", "Middleware", "OS", "Virtualization", "Servers"],
example: "Heroku — Push code, it runs automatically",
useCase: "Focus on coding, not infrastructure",
},
SaaS: {
youManage: ["Your data and usage"],
providerManages: ["Everything else"],
example: "Gmail — Just use it, Google manages all servers",
useCase: "End users, no technical management needed",
},
};
Object.entries(serviceModels).forEach(([model, details]) => {
console.log(`\n=== ${model} ===`);
console.log("Example:", details.example);
console.log("Use case:", details.useCase);
});