PaaS vs IaaS: lower carbon emissions for your applications

Cloud computing, while essential, contributes significantly to global carbon emissions due to the energy-intensive nature of running millions of servers. This issue is exacerbated by the common practice of over-provisioning, which leads to resource waste as servers consume energy regardless of utilization. A modern Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) can mitigate this by optimizing resource distribution, employing features like autoscaling and small containers, and integrating tools for code optimization and performance monitoring. Upsun, a new offering from Platform.sh, exemplifies these benefits by providing a usage-based pricing model that aligns with carbon footprint reduction goals, achieving more efficient CPU usage compared to traditional Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) setups. This approach not only enhances cost efficiency but also promotes sustainable practices by leveraging data center energy sources with lower carbon intensity and improving server utilization through grid architecture.