Which of the following correctly matches IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS with a representative example?

• A. IaaS: Heroku; PaaS: AWS EC2; SaaS: Office 365
• B. IaaS: Office 365; PaaS: Heroku; SaaS: AWS EC2
• C. IaaS: AWS EC2; PaaS: Heroku; SaaS: Office 365
• D. IaaS: Docker; PaaS: Kubernetes; SaaS: Slack

Answer: (C)

Understanding how IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS differ helps you see who handles what in cloud services. IaaS provides the basic building blocks: virtual machines, storage, and networking. You manage the operating system, middleware, and applications, while the provider supplies the hardware and virtualization. AWS EC2 is a prime example because it offers scalable virtual servers where you choose the OS, install software, and handle updates and security.

PaaS goes a step further by supplying a ready-made platform with the runtime and development tools, so you can focus on building your app rather than managing servers or middleware. Heroku fits this role well: you deploy your code, and the platform handles deployment, scaling, and runtime details, while you manage your app’s data and code.

SaaS delivers complete software applications over the internet. You use the software directly through a browser or API, with maintenance and updates handled by the provider. Office 365 is a classic SaaS example.

So the best match is IaaS with AWS EC2, PaaS with Heroku, and SaaS with Office 365.