⏱ Est. ~5 min
01 · Read
The cloud is a word that sounds magical but is actually surprisingly simple. It just means using someone else's computer over the network, instead of running everything on your own machine.
Before the cloud existed, if you wanted to host a website, you had to buy physical servers, put them in a room, keep them cool, fix them when they broke, and replace them when they got old. Expensive and a hassle.
With the cloud, you rent computing resources from companies like Amazon (AWS), Google (Google Cloud), or Microsoft (Azure). They own the servers, they maintain them, and you pay for what you use.
💡 Picture thisThe cloud is like renting an apartment instead of buying a house. Buying means you handle everything — repairs, maintenance, mowing the lawn. Renting means the landlord handles all that. You just use the space and pay monthly. Cloud computing works the same way: you use servers and pay for what you need, while the cloud provider handles the infrastructure.
Key points
- "The cloud" = someone else's computers that you rent over the network
- Major cloud providers: AWS (Amazon), Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure
- You pay for what you use — no need to buy expensive hardware
- Almost every app and website you use runs in the cloud
02 · Step-through
Step by step, how the cloud actually works.
1. 1. You write code locally
You write the code for your app in a code editor on your own laptop. At this point, only you can use it — it's just files on your machine.
2. 2. Upload to a cloud provider
When you're ready to share your app with the world, you upload the code to a cloud provider like AWS, Google Cloud, or Vercel. This is called "deploying."
3. 3. The cloud runs your program on their servers
The cloud provider takes your program to their massive data centers spread around the world and runs it on powerful servers. Power, cooling, security, and backups are all handled by them.
4. 4. Users access it over the network
Now anyone with a browser can visit your app. What they're actually connecting to is the cloud provider's server — not your laptop. Your app is alive 24/7, and it doesn't matter if your laptop is turned off.
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※ This is an independent Traditional Chinese teaching project — not an official Anthropic product. Claude™ is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC.