Platform-as-a-Service or PaaS is a cloud computing that provides a run time environment. PaaS provides infrastructure – server, network, storage and platform – development tool, database management system, middleware and more that help programmers to create, run, test and deploy web applications. The cloud service provider offers these applications on a pay-as-you-go basis, and the cloud service provider also manages the infrastructure.

Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) can be used for API development and management, analytics or business intelligence, the internet of things (IoT), Agile Development, cloud-native development, etc.

There are many PaaS providers such as Google App Engine, Force.com, Openshift, Azure, AppFog, Cloud Foundry from VMware, etc.

The PaaS Service offers :

• Programming Language
• Application Framework
• Web service Integration
• Information Security
• Development Team Collaboration
• Databases Integration
• Other tools used to develop, test and deploy the application

Benefits of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

1. Simplified Development: PaaS infrastructure is managed by the service provider so the developer can focus development and innovation part rather than the infrastructure management.
2. Support Geographically Distributed Development Teams: The development environment is present on the internet, so the development team can easily access the projects if they are working from remote locations.
3. Freedom to Experiment: PaaS allows testing and trying new operation systems, languages and tools without extra investment or infrastructure.
4. Scalability: The resources can be easily scaled up and down as per the requirement.
5. Wide Variety of Resources: PaaS offers a wide variety of IT resources for the developers, such as operating systems, middleware, development tools, database, etc.

Disadvantages of Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

1. Vendor Lock-in: Once customers take services from one service provider, they cannot switch to another. Migrating the application from one service provider to another service provider may create a problem.
2. Vendor Dependency: If the current service provider makes any small changes in the configuration of infrastructure, it may affect the performance of the running application. Additionally, the application will be more costly if the service provider increases the pricing model.