Developers want to deploy a city grants web application without managing the underlying web-server operating system. Which cloud service type should they choose?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Want to ship the grants app without babysitting the web-server OS? That is the PaaS bargain. You bring the code and data; the platform handles the runtime plumbing. Full VM guest-OS care is IaaS instead.
Full Explanation
Platform as a Service fits developers who want to deploy a city grants web application without managing the underlying web-server operating system. The provider manages runtime and OS concerns for the app host while the team focuses on application code, configuration, and data. That division of labor is the PaaS bargain at fundamentals depth. IaaS virtual machines would still require patching IIS and the guest OS—the opposite of the stated goal and a common distractor when teams default to VMs out of habit. Buying a spare tower PC under each desk abandons cloud service types entirely and recreates local unmanaged servers. SaaS payroll replaces a finished business-process application; it does not host the city’s custom grants application code or give developers a platform to deploy that code. Exam caveat: PaaS removes OS management but not application security, identity, secrets handling, or data protection duties that remain with the customer. Operational check: deploy the grants app to a PaaS web hosting option and verify the team’s runbook no longer includes guest OS or web-server patching tasks while still listing app config and access reviews. Choose PaaS when the grants team’s success metric is shipping application features, not maintaining web-server images and OS patch calendars.