Cloud Computing
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
Cloud computing means using computers that live in someone else's giant warehouse instead of your own machine. You access their computing power, storage, and software over the internet. It's like using electricity from the power grid instead of running your own generator — you pay for what you use.
Real Talk
Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of computing resources — servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and analytics — over the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing. It enables scalability, global reach, and reduced capital expenditure on physical infrastructure.
When You'll Hear This
"Cloud computing changed how we think about infrastructure costs." / "Before cloud computing, you had to buy servers upfront."
Related Terms
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
AWS is like a giant magical warehouse where you can rent computers, storage, databases, and basically anything tech-related — by the minute.
Azure
Azure is Microsoft's cloud — and if your company already runs on Windows, Active Directory, and Office 365, Azure fits like a glove because everything talk...
GCP (Google Cloud Platform)
GCP is Google's version of the giant rental computer warehouse.
IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
IaaS is when you rent the raw computer hardware in someone else's data center.
PaaS (Platform as a Service)
PaaS is when someone else handles the boring server stuff (OS, security patches, networking) and you just throw your code at it.
Region
A cloud region is a geographic area where a cloud provider has built clusters of data centers.