# Cloud provider

Concept · [Cloud, hosting and security](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/cloud)

Also called: cloud providers, cloud vendor, cloud platform, cloud company, cloud service provider, CSP, IaaS, PaaS, infrastructure as a service, platform as a service

A company that rents out computing services, such as [servers](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/server), storage and [databases](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/database), over the internet and on demand. Customers pay for what they use and do not buy or run the [hardware](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/hard-tech).

**For example:** A startup needs a [database](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/database) for its app. It creates one with a cloud provider in a few minutes and pays by the month.

## Connects to (12)

- [Cloud](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/terms/cloud): Computers and storage that you rent over the internet from a large provider, instead of owning the machines yourself.
- [Hyperscaler](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/hyperscaler): An informal name for the very largest cloud providers, which run huge fleets of data centers.
- [Amazon Web Services](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/aws): Amazon's cloud provider, usually called AWS.
- [Google Cloud](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/gcp): Google's cloud provider.
- [Microsoft Azure](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/azure): Microsoft's cloud provider.
- [Managed service](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/managed-service): A service where the provider handles the upkeep instead of the customer's own team.
- [Region](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/region): A geographic location where a cloud provider groups its data centers.
- [Uptime](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/uptime): The share of time a service is working and reachable.
- [Free tier](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/free-tier): The part of a paid service that costs nothing, within set limits.
- [Object storage](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/object-storage): A cloud service for storing files such as images, videos and documents.
- [Data center](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/data-center): A building that houses the computers, storage and network equipment that run online services, along with the power and cooling they need.
- [VPC](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/vpc): Virtual private cloud.

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/cloud-provider