SaaS / PaaS / IaaS / HaaS

Question

I've read:

And I've got 2 questions:

Is Google App Engine considered PaaS or IaaS?
Is HaaS a subset of IaaS or is HaaS really just another name for IaaS?

Not sure about 1. As for 2: it is, ideologically, a subset - that is to say that in an IaaS I don't think it's necessary that the infrastructure elements treat the hardware as a _service_ per se (it could be proprietary OS/etc. dedicated for proprietary hardware). The differentiator is that the OS could belong in an IaaS but not in an HaaS. — Steven Evers, May 16 '11 at 01:18
@SnOrfus: Please post your answer as an answer so we can upvote it properly. — S.Lott, May 16 '11 at 02:13
@S.Lott: It's only half of an answer at best, so I thought it left best as a comment. Will promote it. — Steven Evers, May 16 '11 at 03:57
@SnOrfus: Since it doesn't ask for specific clarifications, it doesn't look like a comment. Since it provides answers, it sure looks like an answer. — S.Lott, May 16 '11 at 12:24
Both of your links are dead. Perhaps you could include a short summary of what you've gleaned from them or think is the main take-away from each? — FireSBurnsmuP, Jan 03 '22 at 13:15

score 5 · Accepted Answer · edited Mar 09 '17 at 18:04

This answer is from an article that I read "Toward a Unified Ontology of Cloud Computing"

As Google App Engine gives you a platform for better utilization of Google's resources, it can be considered PaaS. A good key for me is "Is this environment giving me some kind of API for better integration with a system? Then it's PaaS."
I read more than one definition about this, but nowadays what sounds better to me, and what the article writer says, is that HaaS, like CaaS (communication as a service) is a subset of IaaS: they create the infrastructure needed to perform IaaS, but it can't be considered essentially service like IaaS.

Here is a figure that describes what I'm saying:
cloud layers

By env, I suppose they mean environment. – Mamta D May 16 '11 at 03:51 — Mamta D, May 16 '11 at 03:51

score 5 · Answer 2 · answered May 16 '11 at 03:59

5

Not sure about 1.

As for 2:

It is, ideologically, a subset. That is to say that in an IaaS I don't think it's necessary that the infrastructure elements treat the hardware as a service per se - it could be a proprietary OS/etc. dedicated for proprietary hardware.

The differentiator is that the OS could belong in an IaaS but not in an HaaS.

answered May 16 '11 at 03:59

Steven Evers

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why do you call a Haas an Haas? – Pacerier May 17 '11 at 06:28
@Pacerier: When I'm saying it, I'm pronouncing it as individual letters as I don't consider it a word. – Steven Evers May 17 '11 at 13:35

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered May 16 '11 at 08:19

2

Google App Engine allows you to create our own application in Java, so it's a Platform As A Service. However, you only can use a restricted subset of Java, so it's actually closer to SaaS than to IaaS (which gives you a virtual machine and let you install whatever language stack or application you want).

answered May 16 '11 at 08:19

Kilian Foth

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Restrictions on what you can do don't really change the fact that it's PaaS. It's still a platform that you build your app on. – mikera Jan 12 '12 at 05:03
In fact, a PaaS is likely to have a few restrictions. After all, the whole point is that you get a platform that is abstracted from the actual facilities of the hardware/OS/software installed. – Muhammad Alkarouri Jun 25 '12 at 17:54

SaaS / PaaS / IaaS / HaaS

3 Answers3