Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model in which a third-party provider delivers hardware and software tools that are usually needed for application development to users over the internet. A PaaS provider hosts the hardware and software on its own infrastructure. As a result, PaaS frees developers from having to install in-house hardware and software to develop or run a new application. As the name suggests, PaaS provides a platform to develop or specialize applications. PaaS allows for the quick, simple and low cost development, testing and integration of applications.
PaaS does not typically replace a business’s entire IT infrastructure. Instead, it tends to incorporate various underlying cloud infrastructure components such as operating systems, servers, databases, middleware, networking equipment and storage services. Each of these functions is owned, operated, configured and maintained by the service provider. PaaS also provides additional resources including database management systems, programming languages, libraries and various development tools. A PaaS provider builds and supplies a resilient and optimized environment on which users can install applications and data sets. Users can focus on creating and running applications rather than constructing and maintaining the underlying infrastructure and services. Many PaaS products are geared toward software development. These platforms offer compute and storage infrastructures, as well as text editing, version management, compiling and testing services that help developers create new software more quickly and efficiently. PaaS can be delivered through public, private and hybrid clouds. PaaS includes development team collaboration, application design and development, application testing and deployment, web service integration, information security and database integration.
Various types of PaaS are available to developers:
Public PaaS is best fit for use in the public cloud. A public PaaS allows the user to control software deployment while the cloud provider manages the delivery of all other major IT components necessary to the hosting of applications, including operating systems, databases, servers and storage system networks. Public PaaS vendors offer middleware that enables developers to set up, configure and control servers and databases without the necessity of setting up the infrastructure side of things.
Private PaaS aims to deliver the agility of public PaaS while maintaining the security, compliance, benefits and potentially lower costs of the private data center. A private PaaS is usually delivered as an appliance or software within the user’s firewall which is frequently maintained in the company’s on-premise data center. A private PaaS can be developed on any type of infrastructure and can work within the company’s specific private cloud. Private PaaS allows an organization to better serve developers and improve the use of internal resources. Private PaaS allows developers to deploy and manage their company’s applications while also abiding by strict security and privacy requirements.
Hybrid PaaS combines public PaaS and private PaaS to provide companies with the flexibility of infinite capacity provided by a public PaaS and the cost efficiencies of owning an internal infrastructure in private PaaS.
Communication PaaS (CPaaS) is a cloud based platform that allows developers to add real time communications to their apps without the need for back-end infrastructure and interfaces. Real time communications occur in apps that are built specifically for these functions. Examples include applications such as Skype, FaceTime and WhatsApp.
CPaaS provides a complete development framework for the creation of real time communications features without the necessity of a developer building their own framework, including standards-based application programming interfaces, software tools, prebuilt apps and sample code.
CPaaS providers also help users throughout the development process by providing support and product documentation. Some providers also offer software development kits as well as libraries that can help build applications on different desktop and mobile platforms.
Mobile PaaS (mPaaS) is the use of a paid integrated development environment for the configuration of mobile apps. In an mPaaS, coding skills are not required. MPaaS is delivered through a web browser and typically supports public cloud, private cloud and on-premise storage. The service is usually leased with pricing per month, varying according to the number of included devices and supported features. MPaaS usually provides an object-oriented drag-and-drop interface which allows users to simplify the development of HTML5 or native apps through direct access to features such as the device’s GPS, sensors, cameras and microphone.
OpenPaaS is a free, open-source, business-oriented collaboration platform that is attractive on all devices and provides useful web apps, including calendar, contacts and mail applications. OpenPaaS was designed to allow users to quickly deploy new applications with the goal of developing a PaaS technology that is committed to enterprise collaborative applications, specifically those deployed on hybrid clouds.
PaaS solutions are frequently used in the development of mobile applications. However, many developers and companies also use PaaS to build cross-platform apps since it provides a flexible and dynamic solution that has the ability to create an application which can be operated on almost any device. Another use of PaaS is in DevOps tools. PaaS provides application lifecycle management features as well as specific features to fit a company’s product development methodologies. The model also allows DevOps teams to insert cloud based continuous integration tools that add updates without producing downtime.
PaaS can also be used to reduce an application’s time to market by automating or completely eliminating housekeeping and maintenance tasks. Additionally, PaaS can decrease infrastructure management by helping to reduce the burden of managing scalable infrastructure. PaaS removes the complexities of load balancing, scaling and distributing new dependent services. Instead of developers controlling these tasks, the PaaS providers take responsibility.