Which service model provides virtual machines and other abstracted hardware and operating systems that may be controlled through a service API?

• A. SaaS
• B. IDaaS
• C. CaaS
• D. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Answer: (D)

Cloud service models define how much control you have over computing resources. The description—virtual machines and other abstracted hardware and operating systems that can be controlled through a service API—fits Infrastructure as a Service. In IaaS, the provider manages the physical hardware and virtualization layer, while you provision and manage virtual machines, networks, and storage, typically via APIs. This differs from software-as-a-service, which delivers ready-to-use applications; container-as-a-service, which centers on containers rather than full VMs; and identity-as-a-service, which focuses on authentication and identity management.