我们都听说过“云(cloud)”，大多数人都知道云计算意味着您必须使用互联网连接来访问软件和服务。但是，有许多类型的云计算具有不同的目的和优势。
云计算的主要类型
当我们谈论云计算的“类型”时，这可以指两个不同的东西。查看云计算的一种方式是关注该技术的用途。本文的大部分内容都集中在这一点上，但首先我们需要从架构的角度来看待云计算。
从这个角度来看，云计算分为三种。
1.基础设施即服务 ( (Infrastructure as a Service ()IaaS )
一种类型的云计算提供按需数据中心资源。您加载和/或编写所有软件。这本质上就像购买自己的数据中心，只是您要租用硬件。
2. 平台即服务（PaaS）
如果你想开发云应用，但又不想在云中维护操作系统或开发环境，你需要PaaS。他们将提供您制作云服务或应用程序所需的工具。
3. 软件即服务 (SaaS)
如果您不是云提供商或开发人员，那么SaaS是您将遇到的最常见的云计算类型。我们将在下面讨论的几乎所有云计算类型都是SaaS的示例，并且针对最终用户。
4. 远程电脑租赁
如果您需要访问数据中心的计算机，您可以付费获得独占或共享访问。这与使用远程桌面(remote desktop)从例如平板电脑访问您的家庭计算机完全相同。不同之处在于您不必为计算机付费，您不必维护它，并且让您 24/7 全天候使用它的所有其他令人头疼的事情都由其他人支付，只需支付一笔费用。
对于有时需要访问某些类型的硬件或不想永久拥有需要经常升级的计算机的人来说，这是一个流行的选择。例如，您可以租用云中的 Mac(Mac in the cloud)，或者您可能需要一台速度超快的工作站计算机来为您处理一些数字，然后将结果发送给您。
5.云端虚拟机
使用虚拟机是一种与刚才提到的类型有点相关的云计算，只是您不是租用物理计算机。相反，您为在同一台物理计算机上与许多其他虚拟机一起运行 的虚拟机付费。(virtual machine)
对于许多用户来说，区别并不重要，他们只会选择更便宜的选择。但是，租用物理数据中心计算机供您独享确实意味着您始终可以获得有保证的性能。
6. 原生云应用
原生云应用程序是在云计算基础架构上运行的应用程序，并且从一开始就以这种方式工作。因此，在您在云中租用的虚拟机上运行Microsoft Word并不是(not )原生云应用程序的示例。
但是，您通过浏览器访问的Office 365 Word应用程序是本机云应用程序。(Word)Gmail等应用程序和您每天使用的大多数基于云的服务也是如此。
7. 云存储
云存储(Cloud Storage)是一个简单的概念。您无需将文件保存在计算机的硬盘驱动器或本地外部硬盘驱动器上，而是使用远程计算机上的云服务保存文件。
大多数云存储服务不仅仅是天空中的外部驱动器。您的数据是根据国际标准存储的，其中包括将多个冗余副本存储在物理上不同的位置。云(Cloud)存储服务还提供额外的功能，例如能够在您的文件中搜索或在云中编辑它们。
云存储的示例包括Google Drive、Microsoft OneDrive、DropBox和 Apple iCloud。
8. 社交媒体
社交媒体风靡全球。阅读本文的每个人很有可能至少使用一种主要的社交媒体服务，无论是Facebook、Twitter、Instagram还是其他任何大牌。如果是这样，您正在使用云服务。即使您可能不将社交媒体视为云应用程序，您的所有数据以及与这些服务一起使用的大部分计算都存在于云中。
9. 娱乐流媒体服务
无论您是在Spotify上收听音乐还是观看最新的Netflix Original，您都在使用云服务。尽管在您的设备上运行的应用程序完成了一些工作，但大部分繁重的工作都在远离数据中心的地方进行。
这些服务不仅可以按需向您的设备发送内容，还可以根据您的互联网连接动态调整质量。这些服务还密切关注您使用该服务所做的事情，因此它们可以根据您和其他用户的个人数据提出建议。
您还可以流式传输视频游戏。您无需购买游戏机或构建游戏 PC，只需付费使用 Xcloud、Geforce Now和Google Stadia等服务。它们适用于平板电脑、智能电视(TVs)或任何支持浏览器和控制器的设备。云(Cloud)游戏还很新，所以所有的错误都没有解决。但是，如果您拥有出色的互联网连接，则值得一试。
10. 去中心化云服务
传统的云服务依靠集中式数据中心来工作，但随之而来的是隐私问题。例如，如果您可以在Google Docs等服务中搜索您的文档，这意味着Google（原则上）也可以读取该文档中的所有内容。唯一保护您的是隐私法和云提供商自己的隐私政策，但保护您的信息免受它们的侵害并没有真正的障碍。
这就是去中心化云提供商的想法的来源。（现已失效的）Graphite Docs可能是最著名的例子。Graphite Docs的工作方式与(Graphite Docs)Google Docs非常相似，至少从用户的角度来看是这样，但它没有中央数据中心。相反，它使用区块链技术来托管和加密用户数据。您无需担心隐私问题即可获得云生产力的优势。
遗憾的是，Graphite Docs于 2020 年关闭，但其源代码是开源(Open Source)的，这意味着其他任何人都可以设置自己的版本。
还有其他去中心化应用程序开发选项，例如Stacks（以前称为Blockstacks），它允许您编写“dapps”或连接到基于区块链的货币的去中心化应用程序。(decentralized apps)
云中的活头
虽然您的个人电脑总会有一席之地，但未来似乎将越来越多地基于云计算。随着互联网最终覆盖整个地球，我们将看到云成为最重要的计算机技术类型。
10 Types of Cloud Computing You Should Know About
We’ve all hеard about the “cloud” and most people know that cloud computing means that you have to use an internet connection to access software and services. However, there are many types of cloud computing that have different purposes and advantages.
The Main Types of Cloud Computing
When we talk about the “types” of cloud computing, this can refer to two different things. One way of looking at cloud computing is to focus on what the technology is used for. Most of this article is focused on that, but first we need to look at cloud computing in terms of its architecture.
From this point of view, there are three kinds of cloud computing.
1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
One type of cloud computing offers on-demand data center resources. You load and/or write all the software. This is essentially like buying your own data center, except that you’re renting the hardware.
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
If you want to develop cloud applications, but don’t want to maintain the operating systems or development environment in the cloud, you need PaaS. They’ll provide the tools you need to make your cloud service or app.
3. Software as a Service (SaaS)
If you aren’t a cloud provider or a developer, then SaaS is the most common type of cloud computing you’ll encounter. Almost all the cloud computing types we’re going to discuss below are an example of SaaS and are aimed at end-users.
4. Remote Computer Rental
If you need access to a computer in a data center, you can pay to have exclusive or shared access. This is exactly the same as using a remote desktop to access your home computer from, for example, a tablet computer. The difference is that you don’t have to pay for the computer, you don’t have to maintain it, and all the other headaches of making it available to you 24/7 are taken care of by someone else for a single fee.
This is a popular choice for people who need access to certain types of hardware some of the time or who don’t want to permanently own a computer that needs to be upgraded often. For example, you can rent a Mac in the cloud, or perhaps you need a super-fast workstation computer to crunch some numbers for you and then send you the results.
5. Virtual Machine in the Cloud
Using a virtual machine is a type of cloud computing somewhat related to the type just mentioned, except that you aren’t renting a physical computer. Instead, you’re paying for a virtual machine that’s running alongside many other virtual machines on the same physical computer.
For many users, the distinction doesn’t matter and they’ll just go with the cheaper option. However, renting a physical data center computer for your exclusive use does mean you get guaranteed performance at all times.
6. Native Cloud Applications
A native cloud app is one that runs on cloud computing infrastructure and was developed from the start to work that way. So running Microsoft Word on a virtual machine you’re renting in the cloud is not an example of a native cloud application.
The Office 365 Word app that you access through your browser is however a native cloud application. The same goes for applications like Gmail and most cloud-based services you use every day.
7. Cloud Storage
Cloud Storage is a simple concept. Instead of saving your files on a hard drive in your computer or on a local external hard drive, you save it using a cloud service on a remote computer.
Most cloud storage services are much more than an external drive in the sky. Your data is stored according to international standards, which includes having several redundant copies stored in physically separate locations. Cloud storage services also offer extra capabilities, such as being able to search within your files or editing them in the cloud.
Examples of Cloud Storage include Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, DropBox, and Apple iCloud.
8. Social Media
Social media has taken the world by storm. There’s a good chance that everyone reading this article uses at least one of the major social media services, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any of the other big names. If so, you’re using a cloud service. Even though you may not think of social media as cloud applications, all your data and most of the computing used with these services live in the cloud.
9. Entertainment Streaming Services
Whether you’re listening to music on Spotify or watching the latest Netflix Original, you’re making use of a cloud service. Although the apps running on your device do some of the work, most of the heavy lifting goes on far away in a data center.
Not only are these services sending content to your device on-demand, they dynamically adjust the quality depending on your internet connection. These services also keep a close eye on what you do with the service, so they can make recommendations based on your personal data and that of other users.
You can also stream video games. You don’t have to buy a console or build a gaming PC, just pay to use a service such as Xcloud, Geforce Now, and Google Stadia. They work with tablets, smart TVs, or just about anything with a browser and controller support. Cloud gaming is still very new, so all the bugs haven’t been worked out. However, if you have excellent internet connectivity it’s worth trying already.
10. Decentralized Cloud Services
Traditional cloud services rely on centralized data centers to work, but there are privacy concerns that go with this. For example, if you can search inside your documents in a service like Google Docs, it means Google can (in principle) read everything inside that document too. The only thing protecting you are privacy laws and the cloud provider’s own privacy policy, but there’s no actual barrier to protecting your information from them.
This is where the idea of a decentralized cloud provider came from. The (now defunct) Graphite Docs is perhaps the best-known example. Graphite Docs worked a lot like Google Docs, at least from a user’s perspective, but it didn’t have a central data center. Instead, it used blockchain technology to host and encrypt user data. You get the advantages of cloud productivity without privacy concerns.
Sadly, Graphite Docs shut down in 2020, but its source code is Open Source, which means anyone else can set up their own version.
There are also other decentralized app development options, such as Stacks (formerly Blockstacks) which lets you write “dapps” or decentralized apps that connect to blockchain-based currencies.
Living Head in the Clouds
While there will always be a place for your personal computer, it seems that the future will be more and more cloud-based. As the internet eventually covers the entire planet, we’ll be seeing the cloud become the most important type of computer technology.
