Platform As A Service
Heroku
Heroku is an online platform as a service (PaaS) that allows users to upload and deploy their applications and websites in the cloud.
Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure is an online service platform by Microsoft through which it offers cloud computing services.
Amazon Web Services
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is an online platform by Amazon through which it provides various web applications and cloud computing services like, desktop virtualization, virtual servers, Amazon WorkMail, content delivery system, Amazon WorkDocs, database, networking, security, and more.
OpenShift
OpenShift is an open-hybrid cloud service platform by Red Hat that allows users to easily develop, host and manage their apps publicly or privately in the cloud.
Linx
A low-code development tool to build process-focused applications with technically complex tasks and multiple steps, all without writing a single line of code.
SAP HANA
SAP HANA is an open platform-as-a-service (PaaS) cloud computing platform that provides in-memory cloud database and application management services to businesses.
Tsuru
Tsuru is an open-source Platform as a Service (PaaS) used to deploy and run applications in the cloud.
OutSystems
OutSystems is an online cloud platform that enables users to create, deploy and customize any of their mobile and web apps.
Google App Engine
Google App Engine is an online cloud platform through which Google offers web and mobile apps building services.
PythonAnywhere
PythonAnywhere is a cloud based Python development platform allowing developers to build, host and run Python applications and websites in the cloud.
Mendix
Mendix application Platform as a Service (aPaas) is an online platform used to develop and deploy applications.
Azure App Service
Azure App is a cloud-based platform that helps you to create and deploy fully managed web apps and help you to scale them.
Cloud Foundry
Cloud Foundry is a cloud platform as a service and open-source software.
AWS Elastic Beanstalk
AWS Elastic Beanstalk is a Platform as a Service software that is used to deploy and scale web applications that are developed with Java, PHP, .NET, Go, Docker, and Ruby.
Pivotal Cloud Foundry
Pivotal Cloud Foundry offers an open, powerful cloud platform for developers and enterprises to build and deliver software easily and rapidly.
Google Cloud Functions
Google Cloud Functions is a PaaS built around Google cloud architecture.
Azure Web Apps
Azure Web Apps, as its name suggests, is an Azure cloud-based platform designed to handle the lifecycle of web applications, from their creation to their deployment.
Brightbox
Brightbox cloud hosting platform is designed to help UK based businesses with their cloud hosting needs.
IBM Bluemix
IBM Bluemix is an open cloud app development platform allowing user to build, deploy, and manage apps and services in the cloud.
Shelly Cloud
Shelly Cloud is a cloud platform (PaaS) used by developers to develop and host Ruby and Ruby on Rails applications.
AppScale
AppScale is an open-source Platform as a Service (PaaS) for web and mobile applications.
App Cloud
App Cloud from Salesforce is an online platform that allows users to build, run, manage and optimize engaging apps based on the same technology Salesforce is built on.
Clever Cloud
Clever Cloud is an online cloud platform designed to be used by developers to deploy and run their apps and websites.
Jelastic
Jelastic provides a Platform as a Service (PaaS) platform for developers to deploy and run their enterprise apps in the cloud.
Salesforce Platform
Salesforce platform is a tool that can help you to create cloud-based enterprise solutions that are robust and technologically advanced.
Salesforce Heroku
Heroku is a cloud platform from Salesforce that helps developers build top-notch user-friendly apps with ease.
Syncthing
Syncthing is an online open-source tool that enables users to share resources between two PCs by connecting them through a secured route.
Engine Yard
Engine Yard is an online cloud platform allowing users to easily deploy, manage and scale their web apps in the cloud.
Platform.sh
Platform.sh is a fast and reliable PHP cloud hosting platform (PaaS) allowing developers to create, manage and run PHP applications and websites in the cloud.
dotCloud
dotCloud is a developer cloud platform (PaaS) that allows developers to build, deploy and scale apps without having to build the infrastructure.
fortrabbit
Fortrabbit is a PHP cloud development and hosting platform, suitable for hosting needs of freelancers, startups and digital agencies.
Scalingo
Scalingo online platform enables users to build, run, deliver and scale their apps easily in the cloud with all management and backend tasks handled by Scalingo experts.
vCloud Air
vCloud Air from VMware is a cloud computing platform providing users the ability to create and store their applications in the cloud.
CatN
CatN is a cloud hosting platform providing private cloud hosting services to enterprises in the UK.
AppRenda
AppRenda is an enterprise PaaS (Platform as a Service) service built to transform any business infrastructure into a software-driven hybrid cloud platform.
AppHarbor
AppHarbor is a .NET Platform as a Service (PaaS) that can be used to build, deploy, host and scale any .NET applications in the cloud.
Appfog
Appfog is a public cloud platform (PaaS) for Java, Ruby, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Node, PHP, Mongo, and other applications.
App42
App42 PaaS is an online cloud platform built for the deployment and management of various web and mobile applications.
Oracle Cloud PaaS
Oracle Cloud PaaS (Platform as a Service) is an online cloud solution that works as a scalable hosting platform for new and existing web applications.
VMware Cloud Foundation
VMware Cloud Foundation is a cloud platform designed exclusively to host virtual machines and containers in an effective way.
WSO2 App Cloud
WSO2 App Cloud is a cloud platform (PaaS) designed to provide application development and hosting services to users.
Andromo PaaS
Andromo is a cloud based android app development platform that allows users to develop interactive android mobile apps without coding.
Application development over the years has seen various changes. There has been a continuous effort made by various organizations and businesses to make application development more inclusive and accessible. One of the by-products of these efforts is the emergence of PaaS. PaaS is a platform-based service offered by various service providers to developers and software development companies around the world. As a part of the service offered by these service providers, the task of managing the IT infrastructure and databases lies with the service provider. At the same time, the developer focuses on building applications. These service providers offer complete backend support and an optimized environment that facilitates faster development of applications.
What do the service providers offer?
As a part of the backend infrastructure and maintenance systems, the service providers offer various development tools, middleware, operating systems, database maintenance service, and infrastructure support. The various development tools are either offered as a part of a comprehensive framework or as individual tools. Apart from these, the service providers also provide various middleware that supports the platform by acting as a bridge between the tools used by the user and the operating system. PaaS has been in use for some time now and has gained significant popularity and patronage among the developer community.
Advantages of PaaS
Using PaaS to build and develop applications comes with its own set of advantages. For one, the application development time is greatly reduced. The developers need not worry about the external tasks of maintenance and database management. They can, therefore, devote more time towards building applications leading to shorter turnaround time. Additionally, the PaaS offerings come with a single environment setup. Such setups ensure uniformity in the process and eliminate unpredictability. The developers can use the environment to start building an application from scratch and then further use the same environment for testing the built applications, making the whole process extremely convenient.
PaaS – a win-win for everyone?
Moreover, the comprehensive service packages offered by PaaS service providers also make it affordable for application developers enabling them to scale their development projects at a rapid rate. Looking at the advantages offered by PaaS, it seems to be a winner in all aspects. Why then, do some developers refuse to migrate to platforms offered by PaaS service providers? What is the reason for their reluctance? The answer to these questions lies in the way PaaS services have been built. In a PaaS-based setup, the environment and backend infrastructure is provided by service providers, and this makes it difficult for developers to switch service providers at a later stage.
The limitations
The applications are built and designed to run in the environment provided by the service provider, and therefore switching a service provider would make it difficult for these applications to run in other environments. Consequently, this would result in the developer building an entirely new application suited for the environment supported by the new service provider. As a result, the dependency on service providers just keeps on increasing, leading to a lack of freedom for the developers. The other issue with these service providers is security and compliance. Many of the service providers hire third-party vendors to store and maintain their infrastructure, making it difficult for the developers to ensure the safety and security of their databases.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and Platform as a service (PaaS)?
IaaS is concentrated towards offering physical infrastructure and server management services, while PaaS covers provide other services in addition to the ones offered by IaaS.
2. Are server-less computing and PaaS the same?
Although both the services offer a similar level of convenience to the developer, but they certainly differ from each other in several aspects. For instance, scaling applications on server-less computing services is much easier in comparison to PaaS-based services.
3. How much do these PaaS services cost?
There is no standard price bracket under which these services are offered. The price depends on the variety of services offered by the service provider and varies significantly from one service provider to the other.