What Is Cloud Computing? A Complete Guide
In the past, hosting a website meant buying physical servers, placing them in data centers, and maintaining them yourself. Today, you can spin up servers anywhere in the world with a few clicks. Behind this transformation is cloud computing.
What Is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is using computing resources (servers, storage, databases, networking) over the internet on demand and paying only for what you use.
Traditional vs Cloud
| Criteria | Traditional | Cloud | |----------|-----------|-------| | Initial cost | Very high | Low/zero | | Scaling | Takes weeks | Minutes | | Maintenance | Your responsibility | Provider handles it | | Access | Single location | Worldwide | | Payment | Upfront purchase | Pay as you go |
Cloud Service Models
1. IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
You rent virtual servers, networking, and storage.
Examples: AWS EC2, Google Compute Engine, Azure VM
When: You want full control, running custom software
2. PaaS (Platform as a Service)
You develop applications without thinking about infrastructure.
Examples: Heroku, Google App Engine, Vercel, Railway
When: Fast deployment without infrastructure hassle
3. SaaS (Software as a Service)
You use ready-made software.
Examples: Gmail, Salesforce, Slack, Notion
When: Standard business tools
4. Serverless (FaaS)
You run code without server management.
Examples: AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions, Vercel Edge Functions
When: Event-driven processing, APIs, automation
The Big 3 Cloud Providers
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Market leader (31% market share)
- 200+ services
- Widest service range
- Enterprise-focused
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
- Strong data and AI services
- Where Kubernetes was born
- Competitive pricing
- Developer-friendly
Microsoft Azure
- Strong enterprise integration
- Hybrid cloud solutions
- Office 365 integration
- Windows ecosystem
Comparison
| Service | AWS | GCP | Azure | |---------|-----|-----|-------| | Servers | EC2 | Compute Engine | Virtual Machines | | Serverless | Lambda | Cloud Functions | Functions | | Database | RDS/DynamoDB | Cloud SQL/Firestore | SQL Database | | Storage | S3 | Cloud Storage | Blob Storage | | CDN | CloudFront | Cloud CDN | CDN | | Containers | EKS | GKE | AKS |
Cloud for Small Businesses
Not every startup needs AWS. For small projects:
| Need | Budget Solution | Cost | |------|----------------|------| | Web hosting | Vercel, Netlify | Free tier | | Database | Supabase, PlanetScale | Free tier | | Email | Resend, SendGrid | Free tier | | Storage | Cloudflare R2 | Very low | | Domain + DNS | Cloudflare | Free DNS |
Cloud Security
Security in the cloud is a shared responsibility:
Provider's responsibility:
- Physical security (data center)
- Network infrastructure
- Hardware maintenance
Your responsibility:
- Access management (IAM)
- Data encryption
- Security groups/firewall
- Application security
Conclusion
Cloud computing is the cornerstone of business digital transformation. The right cloud strategy reduces costs, simplifies scaling, and accelerates innovation. What matters is choosing the right service and provider for your needs.
If you'd like to move your project to the cloud or build cloud-native applications, get in touch: info@cagribilgehan.com. Check out my projects: cagribilgehan.com