AWS Solutions Architect · Module 1 · Day 2

Cloud Service & Deployment Models

⏱ 12 min read🎯 Beginner friendly🖼 3 diagrams🧪 2 live demos

“Cloud” is not one thing. There are three service models (how much the provider manages for you) and three deployment models (where the cloud lives and who can use it). Get these six words right and half of every cloud interview is done.

In this session

Two families: service models and deployment models
IaaS, PaaS and SaaS, with simple analogies
Pizza as a Service: an interactive comparison
Public, private and hybrid cloud
What happens when you deploy a web server

01Two kinds of cloud models

Every cloud product is one service model AND one deployment model.

02IaaS, PaaS and SaaS

Model	You get	You manage	Analogy	AWS / other examples
IaaS: Infrastructure as a Service	virtual servers, storage, network	OS, software, your app, security settings	🏠 renting an empty house	Amazon EC2, EBS; Azure VMs
PaaS: Platform as a Service	a ready platform to run code	only your code and data	🛋️ renting a furnished flat	AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Heroku, Google App Engine
SaaS: Software as a Service	finished software in the browser	just your data and settings	🍕 eating at a restaurant	Gmail, Microsoft 365, Zoom, Netflix

Demo · Pizza as a Service

Going up the stack: the more the provider manages, the less control (and work) you have.

Demo · Which service model is it?

03Public, private and hybrid cloud

Model	What it is	Good for	Example
Public cloud	provider’s hardware, shared by many customers (tenants), over the internet	low cost, no hardware, unlimited scale	a blog or website on AWS EC2
Private cloud	cloud setup used by one organisation only (own data centre or hosted)	strict security, compliance, full control	a bank’s internal core-banking platform
Hybrid cloud	private + public, connected securely (VPN or AWS Direct Connect)	keep sensitive data inside, use the cloud for the rest	bank keeps balances on-premises, runs its mobile app front end on AWS

🚗

Like transport. Public cloud = taking a cab (shared, pay per ride). Private cloud = owning a car (yours alone, you maintain it). Hybrid = your own car for daily use plus cabs for long trips.

Note: “Shared” in a public cloud does not mean others can see your data. Each customer is isolated by virtualisation and security controls (you will see how in Day 4).

04What happens when you deploy a web server

The five steps behind every “host a website on AWS” lab. You will do all of them hands-on on Day 12.

🎯 Exam corner

IaaS = most control (EC2). PaaS = deploy code only (Elastic Beanstalk). SaaS = ready software.
Hybrid cloud questions usually mention connecting on-premises with AWS: VPN or Direct Connect.

05Summary

IaaS: you manage OS and apps (EC2). PaaS: you manage only code and data (Elastic Beanstalk). SaaS: ready software (Gmail).
Public = shared provider hardware; private = one organisation; hybrid = both, connected securely.
Deploying a website: launch EC2 → open port 80 → install a web server → add index.html → visit the public IP.

06Quick quiz

1. “Renting an empty house” matches…

2. You upload code and AWS runs the servers. Which model?

3. Microsoft 365 is…

4. A bank keeps customer balances on-premises and runs its app on AWS. This is…

5. Which port must be open for a normal website?

07References

Created by Ajeetkumar