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I would like some clarification on whether Azure VM's are strictly IaaS or can be PaaS depending on the amount responsibilities the creator/user has.

I've seen multiple different website saying VM are ONLY IaaS since you require an operating system, and others saying VM can be PaaS if a specific OS is specified on creation.

Any insight the community can provide will be very helpful, Thanks!

Minmater
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5 Answers5

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A VM is generally considered Infrastructure-as-a-Service, as you retain responsibility for patching and managing the Virtual Machine Operating System.

And even though there are Marketplace VM offerings that are completely pre-configured and even auto-updating, the responsibility for maintaining those solutions after deployment is the main way IaaS and PaaS are distinguished.

At the end of the day IaaS and PaaS are not precise technical terms. You can have PaaS services that require significant configuration and ongoing maintenance, and IaaS services that are completely managed.

David Browne - Microsoft
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    My reason for asking this is because my team and I are studying for the AZ900 Azure Fundamentals exam. Some of the questions asked, are to group resources into IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. VM's are one of the items asked to be grouped, but as best we can tell it is dependent on the type of VM and cannot find a solid answer in which to service to group them under. – Minmater May 05 '20 at 15:15
  • For that purpose VMs would be classified as IaaS. – David Browne - Microsoft May 05 '20 at 17:18
  • Your last phrase isn't correct.... There is a difference between IaaS and PaaS. The difference lies in what you can or are allowed to manage. On a VM you can manage the OS or the software on the VM. So a VM is a IaaS solution. – Enrico Oct 05 '20 at 15:17
  • Right, but it's a little more complicated than that. On the below chart, App Services for Containers, ACI, and AKS would be IaaS as they are bring-your-own Runtime/Middleware. And there is managed patching and backup for Azure VMs. – David Browne - Microsoft Oct 05 '20 at 17:19
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VM's are IAAS (Infrastructure as a service) because on a VM you can manage what operation system runs and what software is installed.

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On a PAAS you only manage the software or application that runs in the cloud. (Like app services)

Enrico
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It's both. Like IaaS, PaaS includes infrastructure—servers, storage, and networking—but also middleware, development tools, business intelligence (BI) services, database management systems, and more. PaaS is designed to support the complete web application lifecycle: building, testing, deploying, managing, and updating. https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/what-is-paas/

Rinie
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I've just been through Microsoft's AZ900 training at it states:

Azure Virtual Machines (VM) are software emulations of physical computers.

  • Includes virtual processor, memory, storage, and networking.
  • IaaS offering that provides total control and customization.
Nick
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example Az900 test questions: VM with installed SQL is PaaS

DUSICA Rackov-Cholich
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    As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please [edit] to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-answer). – Community Nov 05 '22 at 02:32