What is the difference between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS for new cloud learners?

All answers to this question.

Think of it like "Pizza as a Service." IaaS is like buying the ingredients; the provider gives you the oven and gas (servers/storage), but you make the pizza and clean up. PaaS is like pizza delivery; they provide the finished pizza, and you just provide the table and drinks (your code and data). SaaS is like eating at a restaurant; everything is provided, and you just consume the service. In a junior role, you’ll mostly handle IaaS—managing virtual machines, setting up firewalls, and monitoring storage. It’s the "hands-on" part of the cloud that requires the most manual configuration.

   Answered 2025-10-15 by Cynthia Lawson

With the rise of "Serverless" computing, is PaaS becoming the new standard for developers, or is there still a significant need for manual IaaS management in 2026?

   Answered 2025-10-19 by Patrick Riley

• Patrick, while Serverless (FaaS) is growing, IaaS isn't going anywhere. Large enterprises with legacy applications or specific compliance needs still require the granular control that only IaaS (like EC2 or Azure VMs) provides. You can't just "Serverless-ify" a 15-year-old banking database overnight! As a cloud engineer, you'll need to be comfortable with both. Understanding how to secure a virtual network is a foundational skill that applies even when you're working with higher-level abstractions.

     Commented 2025-10-22 by Christopher Moore

SaaS is what everyone uses (like Gmail or Salesforce), but IaaS is what we build on. For a career, focus on understanding the underlying infrastructure first.

   Answered 2025-10-25 by Megan O'Brien

• Well said, Megan. Most people think "Cloud" is just SaaS, but the high-paying jobs are almost entirely in the IaaS and PaaS architecture space.

     Commented 2025-10-27 by Brandon Taylor