What is the Cloud?

Kevin Lee
Kevin Lee
Jul 28, 2017 · 1 min read

You are probably well-acquainted with these popular cloud services — Google Drive, iCloud, and Dropbox.

But what is the cloud?

Actually, the cloud refers to services enabled by the Internet. For example, you have cloud storage, where your data is stored somewhere other than your local storage. You have cloud servers that enable your favourite apps to work.
Now, these servers and data centers are very much grounded and they are not in the sky — imagine huge racks of computers stacked on top of each other that constantly use electricity and generate heat.

However, the cloud has revolutionized the way we work and create. For example, your teammates can edit the same Google doc at the same time from any location. Also, developers can run their apps on the cloud without needing to buy and maintain their own physical servers (for a fee of course).

And for that, the cloud deserves its stratospheric and encompassing name.

Written by

Kevin Lee

Software engineer, entrepreneur, thinker and writer. I love to explore ideas and solve problems that matter.

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