Cloud computing basics - Part 1
Basic concepts you should know before learning cloud services
In this part, we will discuss about below basic concepts :
What is Cloud & Cloud computing?
What is Virtualization?
Main features of Cloud : Scalability, Elasticity & Availability
WTH is a Cloud?
No, I'm not talking about this cloud :-), A cloud is :
a network of remote servers that are connected to the internet
Servers located in data centres around the world
Designed to store, manage, and process data and applications
What is Cloud computing?
Delivery of computing resources over the internet
Allows users to access and use a wide range of services & applications
No need for owning and managing the underlying infrastructure
Pay for whatever services you use instead of a fixed cost
A simple example to further clarify your understanding :
Imagine you're a chef running a restaurant. Cloud computing is like having a virtual sous chef who can magically handle all the cooking tasks for you, while
the cloud is like a giant kitchen in the sky, equipped with all the necessary ingredients, utensils, and appliances. Instead of having your own kitchen with limited resources, you can rent space in the cloud kitchen and access everything you need whenever you want.
Computing in the cloud is like giving your sous chef a recipe and letting them do the hard work. And the best part is, you only pay for what you use.
Just like you pay for the number of dishes your sous chef prepares, cloud computing lets you pay for the computing resources you consume. It's like having a pay-as-you-eat buffet, where you're only charged for the dishes you actually devour.
What is Virtualization?
a technique that allows multiple virtual instances of resources, such as servers, operating systems, storage, or networks, to run on a single physical machine.
Helps maximize resource utilization, improves efficiency & provides flexibility in managing and deploying applications and services
Check out below diagram so you can understand the difference between a traditional system and a virtual system.
An example to simplify it further :
Imagine you're throwing a party, and you want to make the most of your space and resources. Virtualization is like having a magical party planner who can create multiple "virtual" rooms within your venue.
Instead of having separate rooms for dancing, dining, and games, your party planner uses dividers and clever decorations to create virtual spaces within the same room. Each space looks and feels like a separate room, but they all share the same physical space.
In this scenario, the physical room represents the actual server or computer, and the virtual spaces represent the virtual instances created by virtualization.
These virtual instances can run different operating systems, applications, and services, just like separate rooms can have different themes and purposes.
Lastly, let's discuss about main features of Cloud computing :
Scalability: It's the ability of a system or application to handle increasing workloads by adapting and expanding its resources
A good cloud computing service should allow for the seamless addition or removal of computing resources (such as servers, storage, or network capacity)
Availability: Ability of a system or service to be consistently accessible & operational, without any disruption or downtime.
Cloud providers strive for high availability by implementing redundant infrastructure, data replication & failover mechanisms across multiple data centers
Elasticity: It's the capability of a system or application to automatically scale resources up or down based on demand, in a dynamic and efficient manner.
Elasticity allows automatic provisioning and de-provisioning of resources to match workload fluctuations.
That's it for this part, please show your love if you found this helpful - share with your friends who might be curious about cloud like you.
In the next part, I will cover service & deployment models in Cloud computing.
Follow me to stay tuned!