What is a cloud server?
IONOS editorial team5 mins
Cloud servers are virtual servers offered by cloud service providers. They provide scalable performance, high security, and the full range of functionalities of physical servers, all without the need for maintenance.
What does a cloud server do?
Whether for scalable data processing in growing businesses, location- and device-independent collaboration, or big data storage and analysis, the cloud is now essential for many tasks. Virtual servers, commonly known as cloud servers, play a crucial role in cloud computing and cloud hosting.
Cloud servers are based on the computing resources of physical servers and are hosted by cloud service providers. Typically, these are part of cloud server networks that offer scalable capacities for workloads, performance, and storage.
What functions does a cloud server offer?
Cloud servers use virtualisation technologies to create virtual instances of physical servers. Virtualisation with a hypervisor enables this by dividing physical servers into multiple virtual servers, abstracting computing power. Virtual servers function independently and offer a range of capabilities, including:
- Processing, storing and analysing data
- Executing applications
- Creating backups
- Hosting websites
- Setting up development environments
- Location and device-independent collaboration
How to use a cloud server?
Cloud servers are offered by third-party cloud service providers and are hosted at the provider’s data centres rather than on-premises. You access these virtual servers via the internet, which eliminates the need for tasks like maintenance, servicing, and monitoring. This setup allows both small and large companies to use cloud servers without facing technical hurdles.
Various hosting packages are available for use. Depending on the package, cloud providers offer on-demand or customised server options with monthly, annual or usage-based billing. Provision can take place in various models such as IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. They differ as follows:
- IaaS: Infrastructure-as-a-Service, or IaaS for short, refers to rented IT infrastructure consisting of elements such as cloud servers, networks and data storage. Apart from the hardware provided, you’re responsible for managing and implementing applications, operating systems and databases.
- PaaS: Platform-as-a-Service, or PaaS for short, is hardware provided with a virtual platform consisting of cloud servers, networks and storage as well as software such as operating systems, middleware and databases. PaaS can be understood as a prefabricated basic structure with the necessary building blocks. You save yourself the maintenance, care and setup of servers, storage space or databases.
- SaaS: With Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS for short, you use applications provided by third-party providers and hosted on cloud servers via cloud computing. This allows you to use applications and software quickly and without local installation, adapt them flexibly and leave the maintenance of hardware and software to SaaS providers.
Possible applications for cloud servers
Private or business applications and use cases for cloud servers include:
- Data storage: Cloud servers provide storage volumes for business, customer, or project data in a paperless office with flexible scalability. Access to these storage volumes is available from any location and device.
- Data backup: Due to their scalability and security, cloud servers are ideal for securing important data and managing automatic backups.
- Web hosting: Whether for hosting websites and online shops, providing online applications and gaming servers or running CMS systems – cloud servers are ideal for web hosting.
- Data analysis, machine learning and AI: Cloud server networks can be used to process large volumes of data thanks to their powerful performance that doesn’t rely on their own physical infrastructure. This is why developers also use cloud environments when it comes to machine learning and artificial intelligence.
- Development environment: Cloud servers are utilised for integrated development and test environments due to their user-friendliness and ease of integration.
How do cloud servers differ from other servers?
Cloud servers provide highly flexible options for both business and personal use in cloud hosting and cloud computing. However, companies should understand how server models like VPS and Hybrid Cloud differ from traditional cloud servers. Our overview offers a concise comparison:
In our article ‘VPS vs Cloud’, we go into detail about the differences between the two server models.
| Server Model | Properties |
|---|---|
| Cloud servers | These are virtual servers that are provided via cloud environments using IaaS, PaaS or SaaS and offer high scalability thanks to cloud networks. A distinction can also be made between deployment models such as private clouds with dedicated, secure server resources or public clouds with shared, less secure server resources. |
| Virtual Private Servers (VPS) | These are virtual servers with dedicated server and hardware resources that customers use via host servers using virtualisation. Scalability is more limited compared to cloud servers due to dedicated physical resources. |
| Dedicated server | With a dedicated server, you have an entire server environment exclusively for your use, provided by the hosting company. Unlike VPS, you don’t share physical server resources with others. While dedicated servers offer significant computing power and scalability, they still don’t match the flexibility and scalability of cloud hosting. |
| Hybrid cloud | Hybrid hosting uses a hybrid cloud with a mixture of local, self-managed on-premises servers and cloud servers. This model offers high scalability and more data control for locally backed-up data, but also requires the maintenance of physical on-premises servers. |
When searching for suitable server models, follow our tips in our large server comparison.
All the benefits of cloud servers at a glance
By opting for cloud servers, you benefit from the following advantages:
Scalability
Thanks to flexible server networks, cloud servers offer near-limitless scalability. You can easily upgrade or downgrade resources, adjusting storage space, workloads, and performance to meet your needs. This flexibility is ideal for accommodating business growth or on-demand computing power.
Security
With professional maintenance, updates, and resource distribution, cloud servers offer high reliability and minimal error rates. Automatic updates address security vulnerabilities, and server locations in Europe ensure compliance with GDPR, BDSG, and GoBD data protection regulations.
Cost efficiency
Cloud servers eliminate the need for time-consuming and costly maintenance of physical servers, including personnel expenses. They also offer tailored server solutions with flexible usage and cost packages suitable for small, medium-sized, and large companies.
Versatility
Cloud servers allow for deployment from any location and on any device, supporting a wide range of web projects, development environments, and integration into existing company systems, including remote work setups.
