Fork 02
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The service models — IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, serverless, containers — and what each one actually hands you and withholds.
work down the list until one of them stings
The worksheet
Every guide at this fork answers one row. Work down the left column until something you believe stops being true.
| What you think | What is actually true |
|---|---|
| The three acronyms have a fixed boundary. | The axis is control versus convenience, and managed services blur the line deliberately.IaaS, PaaS, SaaS — Where the Line Actually Sits → |
| Serverless means there is no server. | The server is still there; you lost sight of it. Cold starts, execution limits and state management are what that costs.Serverless Is Not No Server → |
| Managed means one less thing to think about. | You hand over tuning access, storage internals and some failure modes in exchange for operational relief. A real trade, not a free one.The Managed Database Bargain → |
| One of the two is the modern choice. | Run duration, invocation pattern, state and cold-path tolerance decide it. Neither wins in the abstract.Containers vs. Functions — A Real Choice → |
| It is a filesystem you reach over HTTP. | It is not a filesystem, not a database and not a low-latency cache — and it fails in each of those roles differently.Object Storage: What It Is Not → |
The 5 guides, in reading order
Every guide →
IaaS, PaaS, SaaS — Where the Line Actually SitsAn explainer that uses the control-versus-convenience axis to define the three models, then shows the line is not fixed — managed services blur it deliberately. Written for someone who knows the acronyms but uses them imprecisely.By the ExtraSys desk · Rent what? · 4 min read
Serverless Is Not No ServerCorrects the most common misconception about function-as-a-service: the server exists, you just lost visibility of it, and that loss has real operational consequences. Covers cold starts, execution limits, and state management plainly.By the ExtraSys desk · Rent what? · 2 min read
The Managed Database BargainA piece about what you give up when you hand database operations to a cloud provider — tuning access, storage internals, some failure modes — and whether the operational relief is worth it. Structured as a genuine trade-off, not a recommendation.By the ExtraSys desk · Rent what? · 4 min read
Containers vs. Functions — A Real ChoiceA comparison piece that maps containers and serverless functions against workload characteristics — run duration, invocation pattern, state requirements, cold-path tolerance — to show which fits which rather than declaring a winner.By the ExtraSys desk · Rent what? · 4 min read
Object Storage: What It Is NotAn argument from the negative — defining object storage by what engineers keep trying to use it as (a filesystem, a database, a low-latency cache) and why those uses fail. Short, blunt, useful.By the ExtraSys desk · Rent what? · 2 min read