What is cloud computing?
Cloud computing is renting computing resources like servers, storage, and databases over the internet instead of buying and running your own hardware. A provider such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud owns huge data centres, and you use only what you need and pay for what you use. It lets teams launch fast and scale without large upfront costs.
- Cloud computing delivers computing resources over the internet on demand.
- You rent servers, storage, and services instead of owning hardware.
- It offers pay as you go pricing and easy scaling.
Why teams use it
- No upfront hardware: rent instead of buy.
- Pay as you go: you are billed for what you actually use.
- Scalable: add capacity in minutes when demand grows.
- Managed services: the provider handles hardware, power, and maintenance.
Instead of buying a server, waiting weeks, and maintaining it, you spin up a virtual server in the cloud in minutes and shut it down when done. That speed and flexibility is the main appeal.
A clean one liner is cloud computing is renting on demand computing resources over the internet on a pay as you use model. Mentioning pay as you go and scalability covers what interviewers want to hear.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main benefits of the cloud?
Lower upfront cost, fast scaling, global reach, and less maintenance, since the provider manages the underlying hardware and infrastructure.
Who are the major cloud providers?
The largest are Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, each offering compute, storage, databases, and many managed services.
Common follow up questions
Related interview questions
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