Cloud Fundamentals
/Beginner
Virtual Machines (EC2 / Compute Engine)
Definition
The foundational IaaS compute service. It provides a raw, resizable, fully customizable virtual server in the cloud where the user has full Root/Admin access to install anything.
Explain Like I'm New
Renting a blank computer in the cloud. You choose the CPU, RAM, and Windows/Linux. Then you log in and do whatever you want.
Real World Example
AWS EC2, Azure Virtual Machines, GCP Compute Engine. A company needs to run a highly specific, legacy Windows application that requires custom registry tweaks. They spin up an Azure VM, log in via Remote Desktop, and install it manually.
Common Use Cases
- •Legacy migrations
- •Custom software hosting
- •Full control requirements
Interview Questions
basic
- Are Virtual Machines considered IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS?
intermediate
- Why do companies try to migrate away from Virtual Machines toward Containers or Serverless if possible?