CCSP Cloud Concepts, Architecture, and Design Practice Question
Which cloud service model provides the customer with the ability to deploy and run custom applications using the provider's infrastructure, where the customer manages the applications and data, but does not manage the underlying operating system or hardware?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
In PaaS, the customer manages applications and data, while the provider manages the runtime, OS, and infrastructure. IaaS gives more control; SaaS gives less.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
Why this is correct
PaaS allows customers to deploy apps without managing underlying OS/hardware.
- ✗
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Why it's wrong here
SaaS customers only manage access and data, not applications.
- ✗
Function as a Service (FaaS)
Why it's wrong here
FaaS is a subset of PaaS for serverless functions.
- ✗
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Why it's wrong here
In IaaS, customers manage OS and apps, not just apps.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
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