The difference between cloud application and Web application

Recently, some people have been very fond of Brian Http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/16763.html ">madden's article," said ' pc dead ' does not mean ' keyboard and mouse dead ' ", But I'm here to correct the misconception that cloud applications are web apps.

The concepts of cloud applications and Web applications are often replaced, and it is time to give them a public definition and discussion. (I know very limited, but I try to understand every time I use it)

First, explain the concept of "cloud". When we refer to the cloud, we are actually talking about an architecture in which data is stored, and the main computational work takes place in the datacenter. All operations are supported by a complex background environment to ensure uptime, security, integration with other systems, and support for as many access methods as possible. The cloud can be private or public, and sometimes it refers to solutions that do not appear to indicate "cloud".

On the surface, Web applications and cloud applications have some of the same characteristics. They are deployed in different places and can be accessed anywhere. The Web can help you access cloud services, but that doesn't mean they are the same. Web applications can also be stand-alone applications, such as converting bitmaps to vector graphics, adding shadows to images, or finding out which fans you lost on Twitter.

Unfortunately, it is not a logical problem to say that all cloud applications are web apps, but not all Web applications are cloud applications.

Box, Dropbox, sharefile, Sugar sync, which are generally considered cloud apps, have a web interface, but they're definitely not web apps. They run on a background system that expands and supports users with different requirements. The Web interface is just another way to use the service.

Email, this annoying, spam-filled application is also a cloud application. In fact, when it is called e-mail, it is a cloud application, even if we do not understand it at that time. We use Outlook, Mail.app, and other mailbox applications to access Gmail (Gmail is generally considered a cloud application), Exchange (few people think it is a cloud application), Zimbra (if you're working on VMware) and all the other backstage.

Salesforce.com is primarily accessed through the web, as well as many other solutions considered Web applications. If the access is determined by the standard of the application type, it is not possible to ignore the mobile app, which makes it easier to use Salesforce or reimbursement and travel systems like concur (TripIt's owner).

After careful consideration, it may be possible to refer to all web-accessible systems as Web applications, as long as we treat them as multi-tier applications whose services run in a cloud environment and are accessed through any application.

We have mobile applications, desktop applications, Web applications, and other applications that are used to access services that are stored somewhere in the background. Perhaps, in fact, there is no cloud "application", called Cloud "service" more appropriate, you think?

(Responsible editor: Schpeppen)