Cloud services are lining up at the frontlines of today’s tech revolution. In 2019, 90% of companies had already migrated to the cloud. Why?
Aside from mitigating general and IoT security issues, cloud computing allows organizations to leverage the benefits of “as a service” models. One of the more popular ones is CaaS, which offers better ways to deploy, scale and manage various apps and software.
But on a deeper level, what is CaaS exactly? How does it work? And more importantly, why should companies consider adopting this tech model for their operations?
In this article, we will discuss every detail from the CaaS meaning and its applications to the top IT service providers on the market.
Table of Contents
What Is CaaS?
Containers as a Service (CaaS) is a cloud-based solution that helps software development companies and IT teams manage their apps through container-based virtualizations. The service entails every step of the app development process, including:
- Launching
- Organization
- Running
- Scaling
- Management
This way, deployments are done easier and faster!
But you’re probably wondering: what are containers?
Containers are software packages containing all the vital compositions that enable the app to execute tasks on the cloud or personal computers. Those include:
- Code
- System libraries
- Runtime
- Other necessary configurations
Containers are increasingly becoming an essential tool for DevOps because of the efficiency, practicality and scalability of CaaS.
How Do Containers as a Service (CaaS) Work?
Now that we’ve discussed the CaaS definition, let’s unpack precisely how this service model works.
CaaS providers typically host a main container orchestration engine to run and maintain the organization’s container infrastructure. This facilitates the automation of the entire containerization process that include:
- Deploying, running and scaling
- Networking
- Load balancing
- Monitoring
- Logging
- Authentication
- Failure management
It covers all the app’s security bases as well. So, aside from the virtual convenience, it reinforces the importance of cybersecurity too!
And what is CaaS if not designed for accessibility? Instead of using a virtual machine or a physical hosting system, users access the service via container-based virtualization, an API call or a web-based interface.
Think of it as an operating system. Instead of recreating hardware or software functions, it acts as an independent delivery model that allows applications to perform tasks in the cloud. And because the model is self-contained, clients can maximize the service for any use case.
CaaS fully automates hosting and distributing container-based technologies in popular and readily available cloud platforms.
Why Use CaaS?
So, what is CaaS for? Besides making app deployments a breeze, CaaS services benefit various enterprises and organizations. Some of the most notable advantages of using this technology include:
Portability
Containers are generally lightweight in nature. They operate separately from the underlying infrastructure. But more importantly, they hold all the necessary app dependencies: code, configuration files, libraries, etc., for it to run in an isolated environment. Thus, users can switch between various cloud platforms while still deploying the apps as cloud-native technologies.
Practicality
Most CaaS providers offer a pay-as-you-go scheme. With this, organizations can get only the services they use (monitoring, load balancing, or networking). Additional savings can also sprout from reducing extra costs for individual infrastructures, software subscriptions and other overhead expenses.
Security
Using CaaS is also among the top cybersecurity tips by professionals. As mentioned, Containers are virtually isolated from their underlying infrastructures and other containers that may hold other contents of the same application. If one component gets damaged, the rest stay unharmed and kept secure.
Scalability
Containerized technologies allow for horizontal scaling. In this case, users can add as many identical containers as needed within the same cluster. This helps in minimizing resource utilization, which in turn reduces costs significantly. As more containers get deployed during horizontal scaling, there will be less need for virtual machines or physical technologies to execute the task. And, in turn, increase savings.
Speed
CaaS platforms enable full automation. From provisioning to managing resources, everything is done with just a few clicks, or none at all! With this, DevOps teams can speed up the process of rolling out new app features, fixing bugs, procuring new containers and so on – in no time.
Overall Efficiency
Unlike virtual machines that require large file sizes, CaaS platforms keep them at a minimum. The general size volume is only within the megabyte range, unlike VMs where it touches gigabyte territory. And since containers run a shared operating system, they require fewer files to run the apps. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to load a container!
Not all organizations can maximize the benefits from CaaS services, though. Large-scale enterprises are the ones who usually get the most perks, since they need to scale more quickly to cater to changing customer demands.
While small businesses can still leverage containerized technologies, the operational advantages are usually directed toward large companies.
CaaS vs. Other Cloud Services
CaaS is a modern solution to the growing pains and costs of app development, deployment and management.
But what about other “as a service” models? Don’t they exist for the same purpose too?
Partly, yes, but they are designed for a specific use case and scale. To understand their distinctions better, let’s differentiate CaaS from three other primary cloud services.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Like CaaS cloud providers, infrastructure as Service solutions enables tech-centric entities to scale up their resources with lesser risk, cost, effort and space.
The difference is that IaaS services are usually hosted by virtual machines, providing only basic infrastructure. Using the public cloud, they lean more towards raw computing resources such as storage, servers and networks. In this case, the platform, environment and application must be configured, managed and deployed.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
PaaS technologies combine the use of hardware and software. They dramatically reduce the burden of creating, managing and maintaining an app’s infrastructure.
In this case, users can develop, run and manage their applications. The difference is, that the third-party platform provider manages the infrastructure. That’s why PaaS services are designed for developing complex applications that rely on a single source code.
On top of the storage and other computing resources, PaaS providers offer extra tools for app development, testing and launching.
Function as a Service (FaaS)
In a FaaS model, users only need to provide the source code and pay for a certain number of executions. The service provider manages the infrastructure, like virtual machines or servers.
As you know, Containers as a Service provides direct access to infrastructure. In FaaS, users cannot configure, manage or scale app components. That’s why it’s a more suitable option for users who only need to run a specific app component.
Critical Factors in Choosing the Right CaaS Cloud Solution
The CaaS market is projected to grow at 35.7% from 2022 to 2029.
And when there are many solutions floating around, how will you choose the best one?
First, you must review your financial capacity. How much of your budget can you allocate to utilizing CaaS for your app development? If you plan to expand it in the future, consider the scaling costs, too.
Next, decide whether you should choose a public cloud for hosting your app, or an on-site deployment would be more suitable.
Lastly, it’s essential to consider where your IT team is well-equipped to handle a containerized system. If they are relatively new to containers, then a managed container platform would be the better option. With this, your app developers can experiment with components without compromising anything.
Top CaaS Providers on the Market
When it’s time to deploy a container service, businesses have the freedom to purchase a platform and manage the containers themselves.
Alternatively, they can go for a provider-managed container solution to make things easier.
In that case, here are the top service providers trusted by most companies for CaaS solutions.
- Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)
- Google Cloud Run
- Azure Container Instances (ACI)
- Red Hat OpenShift
Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)
Amazon ECS offers a fully automated solution to managing and scaling containers. With its container orchestration service, developers don’t have to manually configure or set up the cloud environment for their apps. They can just control them via API calls, since the apps run on server clusters.
The great thing about ECS is that it monitors and evaluates CPU and memory utilization. That way, the app gets its optimal deployment on hardware resources.
Google Cloud Run
Google Cloud Run makes developing applications easy by removing all the tedious tasks of infrastructure management. It’s a fully managed serverless platform so that users can run their Docker containers as events or requests. The serverless nature also means the containers can be run as auto-scaling HTTP services and are invocable.
Azure Container Instances (ACI)
With Azure Container Instance, developers can swiftly deploy their containers directly on Microsoft Azure. It offers the extra convenience of not having to provide or manage the containers’ infrastructure.
Users can simply launch their new containers via the Azure portal, and Microsoft will handle all configurations from there. Users won’t have to manage virtual machines or use container orchestration engines like Kubernetes.
Also, ACI remains a viable CaaS option for many because the service supports Windows and Linux containers.
Red Hat OpenShift
Red Hat is known for its user-friendly containerization software. Its OpenShift Container Platform, in particular, is an open-source technology designed for enterprises.
Here’s how it makes container orchestration easy: it helps you load-balance apps behind a router, automatically scale apps using traffic metrics and provides sufficient resources for creating your container images.
What Is CaaS Takeaways
To round up our discussion, we go back to our simple question: what is CaaS?
Containers as a Service is a fine piece of cloud technology that helps enterprises minimize their app shipment time by hosting applications, and their dependencies, and bundling them into a single lightweight package.
And most importantly, it’s a flexible cloud-based service that provides better ways to manage virtualized containers and clusters. In simpler terms, it makes app developments and deployments more accessible, faster and cheaper.
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