Who runs the cloud, and what does the market actually look like? This chapter names the three giant providers, explains why they are more alike than they first appear, calls out the real differences that matter, and places the whole field on a map — including how the world is carved into regions and zones.
5 topics
There are dozens of cloud providers in the world, but three of them run the majority of what the global cloud actually is. AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure are not just big companies — they are the environment that almost every cloud conversation takes place in. Knowing who they are, what they share, and where they genuinely differ is the fastest way to get your bearings in the field.
Five topics cover the landscape. First, a proper introduction to the three giants. Then the surprising truth that they offer the same core building blocks under different names — which is the single most useful insight for anyone learning the field. Then the real differences that shape which one a company picks. Then a look at the rest of the market beyond the big three. And finally, the geography of the cloud itself: regions, availability zones, and why location still matters even when everything is "online".
The three major clouds — different names, the same core services underneath
AWS
Amazon Web Services — the oldest and most widely used, with the broadest service catalog
Google Cloud
Google Cloud Platform — built on Google's own global infrastructure, strong in data and ML
Azure
Microsoft Azure — deep ties to Windows, Office, and enterprise IT worldwide