A Platform-as-a-Service (owned by Salesforce) that lets developers deploy web apps without managing servers. Supports multiple languages (Ruby, Node, Python, etc.) and auto-scales apps based on demand. Startups love Heroku for its developer experience – you push code, and Heroku handles the infrastructure. Particularly popular for prototyping and SMB apps that need to get to market fast.
A platform for deploying modern web projects (especially JAMstack sites). Automates building, deploying, and serving static websites and single-page apps globally via CDN. It also offers serverless functions and CMS integration. Hugely popular among developers and marketers for its git-based workflow – push your site code to Git, and Netlify handles the rest, including previews and rollbacks.
Another frontend cloud platform, known for hosting Next.js and other React frameworks. Vercel makes it trivial to deploy web applications with serverless backends, offering instant global scaling. Many small teams choose Vercel for its optimization of frontend performance and automatic integration with headless CMS and ecommerce backends.
A pioneer in managed hosting, Rackspace now provides multi-cloud solutions and its own OpenStack-based public cloud. Rackspace is often used by SMBs who want cloud benefits but prefer to outsource management to experts (“Fanatical Support”). They offer managed AWS/Azure as well as their private cloud and email hosting (Rackspace Email).
A European cloud and hosting provider known for affordable servers. Offers public cloud instances, bare-metal servers, and hosted private cloud. Popular in Europe (especially France) among developers and SMBs for its low-cost high-performance hardware. Emphasizes data privacy under EU laws as a selling point over U.S.-based giants.
SAP’s cloud platform (Business Technology Platform) for deploying SAP applications and extensions. Relevant to mid-sized companies running SAP’s ERP who want to build cloud apps or integrate with their on-prem systems. It’s a niche choice – mainly for those in the SAP ecosystem seeking cloud capabilities (database, analytics, integration) from the same vendor.
GitHub isn’t an infrastructure host in the traditional sense, but its Codespaces service provides cloud development environments, and GitHub Pages provides basic static site hosting. Many small developers leverage GitHub for code collaboration and then use GitHub Pages to host simple sites (e.g. documentation) for free, making it part of the infrastructure toolkit for some.
The dominant online advertising platform for pay-per-click search and display ads. Google Ads lets businesses bid on keywords to show up in Google search results as sponsored links, or create display ads on websites and YouTube. It offers granular targeting by keyword, location, demographics, etc. For many SMBs, a well-managed Google Ads campaign is a primary driver of web traffic and leads – though it requires ongoing attention to budget and keyword optimization (which tools like SEMrush can assist with).
Oracle’s cloud platform, featuring Oracle’s database-as-a-service and business apps (ERP, etc.) on cloud infrastructure. Aims at enterprise workloads (e.g., Oracle DB, enterprise Java apps) with high performance and security. Oracle Cloud has been growing and is sometimes chosen for its favorable cost/performance on Oracle tech stacks or its autonomous database features.
Developer-friendly cloud provider focused on simplicity and affordability. Offers virtual servers (“Droplets”), databases, storage, and Kubernetes with straightforward pricing. Very popular with startups, developers, and small businesses for hosting web apps and services – essentially a leaner alternative to the big clouds for less complex needs.
A long-time independent cloud host now part of Akamai. Linode provides simple Linux virtual servers, GPUs, and object storage at flat prices. Valued by developers and SMBs for reliable infrastructure and support, without the complexity of larger clouds. Good for hosting websites, apps, and custom projects on a budget.
The market leader in cloud infrastructure. AWS offers on-demand computing (EC2), storage (S3), databases, networking, and 200+ services. Small businesses use AWS for its breadth (from simple website hosting to ML services) and scalability. Pay-as-you-go pricing and a free tier enable starting small and growing on the same platform.
The second-largest global cloud platform, Azure provides a full range of cloud services: virtual machines, Azure SQL databases, AI and analytics, and more, with seamless integration to Microsoft software (Windows Server, Office 365). Often chosen by businesses already using Microsoft technologies or requiring hybrid cloud (on-premise + cloud) solutions.
Google’s cloud computing service, known for its leading data and machine learning offerings. GCP provides scalable infrastructure (Compute Engine, Kubernetes Engine) and powerful managed services like BigQuery (analytics). GCP is developer-friendly and excels in price-performance for certain workloads. Popular with tech startups and organizations leveraging Google’s expertise in data.
