Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing model that delivers virtualized computing resources over the internet, including virtual machines, storage, networks, and operating systems. Unlike traditional on-premises infrastructure, IaaS operates on a pay-as-you-go basis, allowing organizations to provision and scale resources dynamically without purchasing physical hardware. Major providers include AWS (EC2, S3, VPC), Microsoft Azure (Virtual Machines, Blob Storage), and Google Cloud Platform (Compute Engine), each offering extensive global infrastructure spanning multiple regions and availability zones. The shared responsibility model defines clear boundaries: providers secure the underlying infrastructure while customers manage their data, applications, and access controls, making IaaS suitable for workloads ranging from development environments to enterprise production systems.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 20 focused tables and 142 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: Core IaaS Concepts
| Concept | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
aws ec2 run-instances --image-id ami-12345 --instance-type t3.medium | • Software-based emulation of a physical computer running an operating system and applications • foundational compute resource in IaaS. | |
Type 1: VMware ESXi, Hyper-VType 2: VirtualBox | • Software layer that enables multiple VMs to run on a single physical server • type 1 runs directly on hardware, type 2 runs on a host OS. | |
$0.0416/hour for t3.medium= $30.37/month if run continuously | • On-demand billing model where you pay only for resources consumed • no upfront commitments or long-term contracts required. | |
terraform applyaws ec2 run-instances | • Automated process of allocating and configuring resources • typically completed in minutes vs weeks for physical infrastructure. |