Often, you can come across them without consent or have your nude images shared without consent. This is why it’s essential to have a classifier tool to identify and flag nude or NSFW images effectively.

Prereq: Basics of Image Recognition

Image recognition refers to identifying and detecting objects, people, text, and other features within an image. This technology can be used for various purposes, such as security systems, self-driving cars, and image search engines. It uses machine learning algorithms for image analysis and extracts information from them. The process of image recognition is complex and involves several steps. Image preprocessing, feature extraction, and classification.

Key Parameters of Nude Images Classification

Identifying key parameters for nude images can be challenging, as it involves balancing the need to accurately identify nudity with respect for privacy and avoid false positives. Some critical parameters for a nude images algorithm, by ChatGPT include:

1. Pixel analysis: This can include analyzing the color, texture, and pattern of pixels in an image to determine if it contains nudity.
2. Machine learning: Using ML algorithms and models to train the system to identify nudity in images and improve its accuracy over time.
3. False positive rate: The rate of images incorrectly flagged as containing nudity should be low to maintain the system’s reliability.

How to Program Image Recognition for Nude Images without Machine Learning

So, that’s enough about how it works. Now, let’s look at how you can write a Python program to do it. But first, what are the things you need to make it work? Let’s see below.

Step 1: Import necessary libraries for image recognition

Requirements

• Python 3.6– install a virtual env if you don’t have it.
• Cython
• Pillow– installs with the Nudepy library.
• IDE– I used VS Code to perform this section.

Note that the older versions of Python are also compatible, but I listed the specs I used.

After that, install it with pip:

$ pip install --upgrade nudepy

Then, the next step is to import it into a program:

import nude

Step 2: Running The Image Recognition for Nude Images Script

You only need a few lines, if that, for the program to work.

The library has a function that checks whether the picture you added has nudity. It’s called is_nude.

import nude
from nude import Nude

print(nude.is_nude('.'))

n = Nude('./nude.rb/spec/images/damita.jpg')
n.parse()
print(":", n.result, n.inspect())

Does NudePy Recognize Nude Images or Not…

I used three sample images for this test program. Click on the names to access the images I used: Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and Millie Bobby Brown. None of them were nudes. But as you can see, the false positive rate is high– 66.67%.

This proves that it is not a good test for nude or NSFW images. Let’s try to understand why and how we can develop a better solution.

Why Do You Need Machine Learning for Classifying Nude Images?

Okay, you have written a complex algorithm that detects a particular nude image or maybe even a specific type of nude— what about others? How can you account for the countless other types of nudes? I mean, it’s not like the Superbowl that only happens once a year, right? So yeah, no Superbowl. Need to make predictions on nude images countless times.

Machine learning is used because it allows for the efficient and accurate detection of nude images. It is a way to automate identifying nudity, which can be difficult for humans to do consistently and at scale.

What do we do then? Hm? Well, you can train a model to recognize nudity using ML on a dataset of images containing nudity and non-nudity to train this model. The model is then able to identify patterns and features that are characteristic of nudity, such as skin tone, body shape, and context.

So, is it really a feasible solution to identify nude images?

Using machine learning to recognize nudity has several advantages. It allows for the efficient and accurate detection of nudity. This can be helpful in contexts such as content moderation on social media platforms, cloud storage services, and filtering out inappropriate media content such as nude or NSFW images. Also, ML models can learn and adapt over time, so they can become more accurate as more data is fed into them.

However, it’s vital to note that using ML learning to recognize nude images raises ethical concerns, such as bias, invasion of privacy, and inaccuracies.

Code with OpenNsfw2

In this step, let’s try to work with a model that is powered by machine learning or ML. Opennsfw2 is Yahoo’s open source model based on TensorFlow 2 implementation.

Libraries:

• Pillow:
• Numpy
• Opennsfw2

Before you get started, install the NSFW images identifier library with this:

pip install opennsfw2

As you can see, pillow and numpy were installed as a by-product of this command.

Okay… How Do I Use It For Recognition of Nude Images:

Here is the code below in Python to predict if your dataset includes nude images:

import numpy as np
import opennsfw2 as n2
from PIL import Image

# Load and preprocess image.
image_path = "image_path"
pil_image = Image.open(image_path)
image = n2.preprocess_image(pil_image, n2.Preprocessing.YAHOO)
# The preprocessed image is a NumPy array of shape (224, 224, 3).

# Create the model.
# By default, this call will search for the pre-trained weights file from path:
# $HOME/.opennsfw2/weights/open_nsfw_weights.h5
# If not exists, the file will be downloaded from this repository.
# The model is a `tf.keras.Model` object.
model = n2.make_open_nsfw_model()

# Make predictions.
inputs = np.expand_dims(image, axis=0)  # Add batch axis (for single image).
predictions = model.predict(inputs)

# The shape of predictions is (num_images, 2).
# Each row gives [sfw_probability, nsfw_probability] of an input image, e.g.:
sfw_probability, nsfw_probability = predictions[0]

print(sfw_probability, nsfw_probability)

The comments in the code help with understanding what is going on. After importing the libraries, you must load an image that is preprocessed into a numpy array. Then, a model is used, which is imported if not present in your directory. After that, the real work you are looking for is done. The not-safe-for-work image prediction part. Is the image recognition accurate or not?

This is seen in the output SFW and NSFW probabilities. The sum of both must equal 1.

This model uses computer vision to define the probabilities of NSFW and SFW images in recognition. The following images show the results based on images from Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Millie Bobby Brown.

Output:

As you can tell, the results still represent one false positive output. Even though none of the images are actually nude images, it still represents the result of one image as ~60% NSFW. But there are positives to take from this result, no pun intended.

1. The probability of NSFW is not sufficiently high, and maybe a benchmark can be used to filter out false positives.
2. The false positive rate has reduced by 1/3rd.

What’s more, you can also use the same library for image recognition in each frame of a video. It will define the time and NSFW probability of the image frame recognized.

import opennsfw2 as n2

# The video can be in any format supported by OpenCV.
video_path = "path/to/your/video.mp4"

# Return two lists giving the elapsed time in seconds and the NSFW probability of each frame.
elapsed_seconds, nsfw_probabilities = n2.predict_video_frames(video_path)

But Wait… There’s More…

Finally, there’s also another library that can perform nude image recognition. Not only that, but this library can also define it as probabilities between distinct categories. Namely, drawing, hentai, neutral, porn, and sexy are the five types.

But what is this library, you must be wondering… right? Well, it’s NSFW Detector.

Importing Libraries

Requirements:

• Python 3
• Tensorflow V2 — it is installed with NSFW Detector if you don’t have it.
• IDE — I used Google Collab for this part. Mainly because using Tensorflow is not so simple on the M1 Macs.

Use this command to install the library in your coding environment or directory.

After that, simply use this line to import it into your program:

import nsfw_dertector

How Do I Use This Thing For Image Recognition, Mom?

I thought you’d never ask! You did, so kudos. Um, okay, so it’s simple, actually. Just import “predict” from the library above.

Then, load a model to use for the prediction of nude images. I downloaded this one.

from nsfw_detector import predict
model = predict.load_model('/content/saved_model.h5')

# Predict single image
predict.classify(model, 'selena_gomez.jpg')

After that, use the classify function, passing in the model and an image. You can also do batch nude image recognition by adding more after a comma. The sky… is the limit.

Output:

Wow! So none of the non-nude images are actually classified as NSFW images by this model. As you can see below, the Selena Gomez image that has been falsely marked as a nude image by the other two models is mostly marked as a neutral image, though it falsely adds 30% of the drawing into the mix too. The Millie Bobby picture has a high probability of being “sexy”– nearly 80%, which do you agree with? Make your decision and let me know. The last image, Taylor Swift’s, is given a high neutral probability.

Finally, I used an NSFW photo to test the model’s capability to distinguish true nude images, which it marks in the “porn” category. The results are positive, which indicates the model does work. Moreover, I ran multiple tests, and the results were still accurate.

Okay… Sherlock, but How Can I Tell Deepfakes, usually Nude Images, apart from Real Images?

Gone are the days of easily knowing if an image is altered or real. I mean, do you know about Midjourney? Or ChatGPT?

As a viewer, it can be difficult to distinguish real images from deep fakes. However, there are a few ways to spot potential deep fakes:

1. Look for signs of manipulation: Check for unnatural movements or expressions in the image or video, such as blinking eyes that don’t match the rest of the face or lips that don’t move in sync with the audio.
2. Check the source: Be cautious of images or videos that come from untrusted sources or that are shared on social media without any verification.
3. Use tools: There are tools available that can help detect deep fakes, such as ones that analyze the image or video for signs of manipulation or compare it to a database of known deep fakes.
4. Ask for proof: If you are still unsure about the authenticity of an image or video, ask for additional proof, such as a photo or video taken from another angle or a statement from the person who appears in the image or video.

It’s important to note that image recognition technology is constantly evolving, and deep fake technology is improving. So, it’s key to stay informed and aware of the latest techniques for the recognition of images and tools to detect deep fakes and be prepared to question the authenticity of any image or video.

Library Requirements:

• Tensorflow
• Numpy
• Pillow

import tensorflow as tf
from tensorflow import keras
import numpy as np
from PIL import Image

# Load the pre-trained model
model = keras.models.load_model('deepfake_detection_model.h5')

def is_deepfake(img_path):
    # Load the input image
    img = Image.open(img_path)
    img = img.resize((224,224))
    
    # Pre-process the input image
    input_data = np.array(img) / 255.0
    input_data = np.expand_dims(input_data, axis=0)

    # Make predictions with the model
    predictions = model.predict(input_data)

    # Convert the predictions to binary labels (real/deepfake)
    # (the threshold for converting predictions to binary labels will depend on the specific model and task)
    labels = (predictions > 0.5).astype(int)
    
    if labels[0][0] == 0:
        return "Real"
    else:
        return "Deepfake"

After importing the libraries, you need to load a pre-trained model and add the path. Then, load and preprocess an image you want to make predictions on and use the predict function to find results. Finally, the results are converted to binary values to demarcate real or deep fake images. In the end, a conditional statement leads to the final result.

Weren’t You Going to Tell Me about Cloud Storage Moderation, though…

The classification of NSFW (Not Safe For Work) images is crucial for cloud storage providers (CSP) due to its impact on the overall user experience and legal obligations. Using moderation, you can ensure a secure environment. How? By detecting and flagging any explicit or NSFW content that might violate the provider’s terms of service. As such, NiHao Cloud takes this very seriously. It’s something it works to improve on every day.

Prohibiting the storage and sharing of NSFW images, such as pornography, hate speech, and graphic violence, is crucial for CSPs to maintain a positive reputation and brand image. It also minimizes potential legal and financial risks. But how does this relate? Storing such NSFW images is generally illegal and criminal in many places.

Do you know how many criminals use cloud storage to hoard illegal content? Most CSPs want to limit this, not just because of negative press but also the implications. This is practically one of the main reasons to work on flagging such content.

Moreover, the automatic identification of NSFW images through image classification technology protects the provider and provides users with a safe place for storing and sharing their files. This can also help foster trust among users and encourage more widespread adoption of cloud storage services. This is, ultimately, the goal of all cloud services. Isn’t it?

Lastly, image classification of nude or illegal images is a critical aspect of cloud storage management. It also plays a vital role in preserving a safe and responsible online environment.

Conclusion: Why Classification of Nude Images is Essential

It is truly amazing what technology can do today. With the latest tech like ChatGPT, Whisper AI, Midjourney, and other AI tools. It has become a necessity to classify images based on NSFW categorizations for moderation. Why? Everyone has access to social media and cloud storage services. This means people set up niches for NSFW, usually illegal, images or media content. If not flagged, the service provider also becomes liable for criminal negligence. I mean, how often do you come across something NSFW without consent? Let alone the times criminals use cloud storage for hoarding illegal data.

Moreover, there has been a revolution in the field of image processing with the prevalent use of deep fakes, which makes integrity challenging. As such, it has become increasingly essential to develop models that can find real images from edits. One essential requirement for this is efficiency. You need a model that works 9.9 times out of 10. Not on which does the same work 6 out of 10 times.

Thank you for reading this post on nude images. I hope you like it. Please let me know below in the comments what you think. This post took a longer time than I expected — M1 MacBooks are not compatible with most Tensorflow-based models. And just not great at image analysis.

You would probably also enjoy a few related posts. Check out Cybersecurity Jobs in 2023 and User Authentication in Python.

Written by: Syed Umar Bukhari.

The market for cloud computing in China is expanding quickly in the world. According to estimations, by 2024, China’s public cloud service market share will have increased drastically. The figure is supposed to go from 6.5% to over 10.5% globally. Such is the scope of cloud computing in China.

There is a lot of demand in the market right now for cloud developers. As such, if you’re an aspiring cloud dev, you should keep working. But what is cloud computing?

Cloud computing is a crucial component of digital technology. There is far too much potential to tap into, especially for global companies. Many of these are interested in joining the Chinese market. Keeping an eye on the most recent trends in the industry is critical, especially when looking to profit. Keep reading if that interests you.

In this article, we will discuss how cloud computing came to be. Why should you know about it? And why cloud computing in China is so successful? In short, we will discuss how China is ahead of the curve when it comes to cloud computing.

What is Cloud Computing? 

Cloud computing is the process of storing data and running software using the internet. It is also known as the “third wave of information technology.” Besides that, it is the on-demand delivery of computing resources, such as networks, servers, and storage.

These are available to an unlimited number of end users. It starkly contrasts the usual method of storing and processing data. This is because cloud computing uses localized hardware and servers. Moreover, it uses a web based infrastructure to give extra computing potential.

Because they make data available online, cloud systems give you much more flexibility. This has drastically improved how people live and conduct business. In the market, it helps companies to focus on their core missions and values while avoiding initial infrastructure investments.

Google, Apple, AWS, and Microsoft are just a few of the top companies in the technology market’s cloud services sector. Many others, including companies in China, are growing and aspiring to take the top spot. Now, let’s see how cloud computing differs in China. Especially when compared to the global trends.

How is Cloud Computing in China Different? 

IDC estimates that China’s public cloud industry will be worth 19.38 billion dollars in 2020. Yet, this figure is just 10.8% of the US market’s worth in the same year. But China’s public cloud market has grown a lot in the last five years. At a CAGR of $61.1, this is far greater than the 23.8% in the US.

China’s cloud computing market is expanding quickly and at a steady pace. The hardware industry rules the private cloud business. However, the market for public cloud services is also growing very fast. Chinese customers of cloud services welcome IaaS, in particular.

What is IaaS?

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a cloud computing service. It offers storage and networking resources on demand. Moreover, they also offer a pay-as-you-go basis. IaaS is one of the four types of cloud services. The other three types are:

1. Software as a service (SaaS)
2. Platform as a service (PaaS)
3. Serverless

The Chinese market for cloud infrastructure is expected to develop rapidly. A compound annual growth rate of 25% is expected over the next five years. Hence, it will reach US$85 billion by 2026. In addition, the industry has a trend of customer-focused diversification.

Top Chinese Cloud Computing Companies

The Covid pandemic caused a spike in e-learning, live streaming, and other online activities. Thus, there has been a major increase in cloud and related services demand. Chinese companies are entering a fierce battle for market share in the cloud services industry. Tech giants like Huawei, Tencent, and Alibaba have driven the sector.

Alibaba Cloud

Alibaba Cloud’s yearly sales increased by 56% year over year in 2020 to a total of 55.576 billion RMB. This is slightly higher than the average annual revenue growth of 49.7% in the Chinese market. Achieving such a growth rate is no easy task, especially when you see a greater base. Alibaba Cloud kept its top spot in the Chinese cloud computing industry as of 2021. It is a giant with a 37% market share for cloud services. 

The company’s market share climbed by 30%. This is because of the expansion of its activities.

Huawei Cloud

With an 18% market share, Huawei Cloud expanded by 67% in 2021. Huawei Cloud has always held a position of leadership in this sector. This is because of its proficiency in government interactions. Huawei is the only “non-Internet” company among the top three providers. 

Huawei is an effective partner for clients in China’s internet industry. The company is slowly growing its clientele of internet businesses. It plans on doing so by using its “cloud to cloud collaboration” strategy.

Baidu AI Cloud 

Baidu AI Cloud is one of the largest competitors in the cloud industry in China. Baidu’s presence expanded by 55% to have a 9% stake in the market. The company’s business model is focused mainly on online marketing and AI regulations.

Thus, it was announced in 2021 that these were intended to be used in the internet sector. Sadly, AI had less of an impact on the firm than on Tencent and Alibaba. Baidu AI Cloud has chosen the industrial market as its key target potential.

Tencent Cloud 

The third-largest provider is Tencent Cloud. The company grew its market share by 55% to own 16% of the market in 2021. Tencent Cloud’s overall growth was steady and varied across many businesses. The firm has grown even more as a pan entertainment industry-focused Internet enterprise. Their goal is to appeal to more clients, including established businesses. This is to give them more credibility as a company.

The potential for the metaverse has opened up new prospects. It’s an innovative and fun time. Therefore, given Tencent’s experience in gaming, social media, and online shopping, it is one of the best cloud businesses right now.

Interest in Cloud Computing in China 

Cloud computing in China has truly seen it all. With the industry growing at a breakneck speed and so much profit in sight, interests are sure to arise. Whether it be from foreign tech giants or local competitors. So, let’s look at it more below and see the interest level.

Foreign Interest 

Foreign cloud service providers like Amazon and Microsoft are all established businesses. They are all looking for a piece of Chinese Cloud Computing. Most foreign players provide “infrastructure as a service”. In simple words, it is known as the infrastructure for computing.

In early 2013, Microsoft and its domestic partner 21Vianet became the first foreign corporation to provide such services in China. 

Local Competitors 

Local Chinese cloud computing companies may be the largest challenge to global competitors. Plus, foreign investors still face heavy constraints. Especially those who intend to invest in the internet services industry.

Several significant Chinese businesses, including Tencent and Baidu, provide cloud services. Aliyun is the largest cloud computing platform in China. It is owned by the Alibaba Group. So, it serves both the Chinese govt and the business sector.

Govt and several state owned businesses tend to refuse to outsource their cloud computing.

Requirements for Foreign Cloud Computing Services in China

It is vital to have the necessary certificates in China. If you wish to provide cloud services locally, that is. International parties looking to offer cloud computing services must partner with Chinese businesses. This is a law introduced to protect Chinese Cloud companies. This law is to look out for if you’re a foreign company, but it has been loosened in the Shanghai FTZ.

Unfortunately, international investors are still advised to partner with a Chinese company. They should also carefully adapt their products to meet local demands. Thus, you must apply for special approval if you’re looking to offer value added telecom services, such as cloud computing. This is in addition to the standard firm creation requirements. 

Finally, joint ventures that want to provide value added services must also meet requirements. If you wish to provide services, you must have a minimum registered capital of RMB 1 million for services in one province. To operate in more than one province, you must have a minimum of RMB 10 million.

To conclude, it is best to have a Chinese partner if you’re a foreign company.

Chinese CSP (Cloud Service Provider) 

McKinsey conducted a national survey recently. 70% of respondents prefer cloud computing services in China. According to this, the top Chinese CSPs lead the market. The remaining 30% of the market comprises 10% of businesses that want global CSPs. Plus, the 20% open to CSPs from any location may be served by global CSPs.

Chinese businesses prioritize critical account and operational support performance and technical needs. These are in addition to cybersecurity and data compliance regarding CSPs. Domain specific solutions and value for money are further vital factors to consider. In practically every important purchase determinant, the top Chinese CSPs are thought to be at least twice as effective as their rivals.

Most businesses in China do not wish to use global CSPs. Still, about 30% of businesses are willing to do so. According to the poll, the public cloud might represent 45% of the total market. This equates to a total cloud market of $30 to $70 billion by 2025. This is similar to the public cloud market in Germany — the fifth largest in the world at $25 billion.

Conclusion 

The basis for the next generation of digital tech is cloud computing. Cloud computing is also the spine of new economic growth. With cloud computing in its initial stages, I think China will fully capitalize on its potential. Digital innovation drives this potential. China will close the gap with the IT sector in developed countries.

According to recent IDC research, Tencent and Alibaba cloud are already two of the top seven global public cloud IaaS market service providers. And both are Chinese companies. That speaks a lot. Why? Well, because Chinese companies are dominating the landscape

Hit the like button below if you enjoyed this post. I would love to hear from you about your thoughts below. Tell me what you think of the top cloud computing companies in China and others that deserve a mention. Where do you see the cloud industry in 10 years? I think it’s a very exciting place to be in right now. There is plenty of room for growth. Not just in China, but around the globe.

If you’d like to read more posts about China, check out some relevant posts. Free Cloud Storage: Top 9 Cloud Storage Services in 2022 and Made In China: Is It Worth It are two such posts you can read.

Edited by: Syed Umar Bukhari.

In this post, I will look at the top cloud storage services in 2023 and why you should consider each.

What is Cloud Storage?

Cloud storage offers a cost-effective, scalable alternative to saving data on an on-premise HDD or SSD. This is done by letting you store data in an off-site location. SaaS is an offering of cloud computing where the provider gives you access to their cloud-based software.

Cloud storage is a scalable solution. How? You can reduce or expand the storage capacity to fit your needs. This minimizes the cost spent on storage– already much lower than physical drives.

There are four primary types of cloud storage:

• Private cloud storage: Private clouds reside within your network, creating virtual server instances to increase capacity. In addition, you can take full control with on-premise private clouds. Also, you usually store more sensitive data on private cloud storage. For example, Nextcloud is a great private cloud option to look into. Recently, we published an article on how to set Nextcloud with Docker.
• Public cloud storage: Public clouds are maintained by a cloud provider for use by other companies. The providers let you access these public cloud storage from any device. Moreover, you frequently store less sensitive data on public cloud storage. These are the ones explored below.
• Hybrid cloud storage: This type combines parts of private and public clouds, giving companies a choice of which data to store in which cloud.
• Community cloud storage: Community clouds are types of the private cloud storage, allowing many “tenants” to share a private pool of cloud resources easily.

Top Free Cloud Storage Services in 2023

The cloud market is expected to grow from a run rate of $229 billion in 2019 to almost $500 billion by 2023. Moreover, The IDC report identifies SaaS as the largest spending category throughout the forecast period.

Besides the top free cloud SaaS options below, you can also use Nihao Cloud with several benefits, including a low entry level, up to 10 GBs of cloud storage available for free, and the option to pay as you go. This means that, like AWS S3 Glacier below, you only pay for what you need or use, this without he complications and limitations that AWS s3 and Glacier have for end users. Moreover, your data is also secured with end-to-end and zero-knowledge encryption. If you work in various places, including China, it’s a great option. In such cases, you can use Nihao Cloud as your preferred cloud storage provider.

However, note that while we think ours is a great platform, this post is about the top free cloud storage services listed below, not NiHao Cloud. We are some what of a niche provider focused on cross borders team collaboration compared to the bigger players.

Mega: 20 GBs Free Cloud Storage

Mega is one of the oldest cloud storage services, offering many features. With an easy drag-and-drop UI and a free tier that sounds too good to be true– free 20 GBs of cloud storage, Mega is an excellent choice if you want a long-term solution.

Pros:

• An amazing free tier of 20 GBs free cloud storage
• Easy to use UI with the option to drag and drop files and folders
• Highly secure; hence, it has true end-to-end encryption for all files, if you forget your password and lose the recovery keys, you can’t access your data again
• Cross-platform is available; not only can you can get it for Windows and Mac, but also Linux
• Individual plans up to 8 TBs cloud storage; neither Google Drive nor Dropbox offers more than 3 TBs
• Lets you preview media and document files

Cons:

• All your data is removed if you don’t log in for three months or more on the free tier; however, they do warn you a couple of times by email
• If you upgrade to a premium tier, you MIGHT get your data back. But in my experience, it doesn’t happen. I only recovered empty folders for 90% of the data
• Premium tiers are a bit more expensive than some services on this list
• It is slow to load the webapp; this needs to be improved to boost the UX
• Collaboration options suffer due to the high security

iCloud: 5 GBs Free Storage

Apple launched iCloud back in 2011. I use it the most often in my daily life. So far, I have had an amazing experience using it for my data. It’s easy to use and auto-syncs if you want. Moreover, iCloud is the joint second most popular free cloud storage service with 700 million users. (Source: Software Testing Help)

Also, iCloud subscription comes with many more features.

Pros:

• Easy to use after the initial set up has been done
• Seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem; i.e., you can access the shared data easily on all your Apple devices instantly
• Strong security, after measures taken not to repeat the leaks in the past; iCloud use TLS 1.2 for encryption
• Prices are tailored per the economic state of each country; hence, it is reasonable for all countries
• Additionally, iCloud includes many free features, like:
  • iCloud Private Relay (Beta)
  • Hide My Email:
  • Custom Email Domain
  • HomeKit Secure Video Support

Cons:

• Past security breaches still leaves a bad taste, most famously the leaks last decade
• Limited android device support; not available on android phones and harder to sync on Windows
• Lower tiers, 50 GBs and 200 GBs, are more expensive than other options on this list
• Sync speed of iCloud can be slow sometimes as it can take a lot of time to sync

Google Drive: 15 GBs Free Storage

Google Drive is the most used cloud storage SaaS with over a billion users today. Also, it has a great free tier of 10GBs on signup and a great to use UI. Obviously, it’s backed by Google with an insane amount of servers and storage. Furthermore, Google Drive is loaded with a suite of Microsoft-like tools. Including Google Docs, Slides, and Pages. Additionally, these tools offer real-time, online solutions for your ease.

Pros:

• Up to 15GBs of free cloud storage is a great free tier
• Easily access and edit your files from any devices on the cloud
• Compatibility with Microsoft Office is a big help for organizations
• Can open up to 30 different file types on the drive
• Intuitive and excellent UI makes it easy to use, even for new users
• Simple and easy file sharing to multiple people, with added restrictions for control and privacy
• SSL encryption on files; it is a secure, two-way encryption to ensure only the two connected parties can exchange data

Cons:

• Premium plans are more expensive than the cheapest upgrades on this list
• A daily size upload limit. Per Google support: “Individual users can only upload 750 GB daily between My Drive and all shared drives. Users who reach the 750-GB limit or upload a file larger than 750 GB cannot upload additional files that day. Uploads that are in progress will complete.”
• A file upload size limit. According to Google support, “The maximum individual file size you can upload or synchronize is 5 TB.”
• According to Google’s policy, its automated system automatically analyzes your content to improve your experience, allegedly:

pCloud: 10 GBs Free Storage

Are you worried about your security? Don’t want a case of… iCloud leaks? pCloud might be the best choice for you. It offers the highest security among the options on this list. pCloud offers free cloud storage of 10 GBs when you sign up, and you can upgrade if you need more security or storage options.

Pros:

• Most secure free cloud storage service with 4096-bit RSA for users’ private keys and 256-bit AES for per-file and per-folder keys, and zero-knowledge, per pCloud’s website.
• Offers 10 GBs of free cloud storage for new users
• Rewind system– so, you can always access a lost file
• Several lifetimes paid storage tiers; hence, with a one-time payment, you can own your cloud storage
• Can easily store files from other online cloud platforms or social media platforms
• Available on all platforms; Windows, Mac, and Linux and mobile phones
• pCloud Crypto is the simplest and most secure way to store confidential files with high security and encryption

Cons:

• The UI is Orkut, or MySpace days outdated; hence, the UI needs to be improved
• Paid cloud storage tiers are priced much higher than other options on this list, due to the higher security with pCloud Crypto
• Many users still face “The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error.” on large uploads
• Extra cost for pCloud Crypto is required to get the higher security options

Dropbox: 5 GBs Free

Well, you have certainly heard of Dropbox before. So, let’s talk about Dropbox. What’s more, is that why is it so famous? Dropbox was the first cloud storage site to be launched in 2007– years before the other options on this list. In addition, Dropbox is the second most popular free cloud storage service, with over 700 million users. (according to its financial statements)

Pros:

• Versioning history and file recovery is robust
• Easily integrates with trendy tools like Zapier, Canva, Slack, etc
• Available on all platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile phones
• Easy to share files and collaborate with co-workers or friends
• Offline file access for easy use without network requirement

Cons:

• Only 5 GBs of free cloud storage is not enough to attract customers; but, you can gain much more with referrals
• No encryption on the data stored is a big letdown
• In case of inactivity, the data is deleted forever after 3 months
• Limited file search with lack of metadata searching
• Customer support is lacking, as it is not very helpful

Icedrive: 10 GBs Free

Icedrive is a new cloud storage service with a focus on encryption, availability, and affordable plans. On top of that, it is the only cloud storage SaaS with a bulletproof twofish algorithm encryption, which is stronger than AES.

Pros:

• Up to 10 GBs free cloud storage available
• Affordable lifetime plans with one-time payments to own your cloud storage
• Zero-knowledge; also, end-to-end encryption with twofish algorithm; so, only you have access to the data
• Available on Windows, Mac, and Linux and mobile phones
• Unlimited file versioning history and auto file sync
• Lets you preview encrypted files on the cloud

Cons:

• Limited file sharing options currently with no control over access
• Free cloud storage has no zero-knowledge encryption
• A daily limit of 3GBs of data exchange per day on free cloud storage plan
• No business or team plans for workplaces or organizations

Sync.com: 5 GBs Free

Sync.com is a speedy, quick solution to your free cloud storage needs. It is a new SaaS with many exciting features. What’s more, it provides a modern and easy-to-use UI for its users. Moreover, Sync.com also prides itself on its zero-knowledge, end-to-end encryption.

Pros:

• Modern and easy-to-use UI with many features
• Your data is kept private, highly secure, with end-to-end and zero knowledge AES-256 bit encryption on the cloud
• File versioning history to recover older versions of your files
• Available on all platforms– Windows, Mac, and Linux
• Many multi-user functionalities; so, you can control the access allowed to team members
• Cheaper premium plans than the other options on this list

Cons:

• Only 5GBs of storage in the free cloud tier
• Customer support is lacking since there is only the option for email support; so, no live chats
• You can only sync a single folder; so, nothing outside that single sync folder is synced
• Per Sync.com’s policy: “The free Sync Starter plan allows up to 20 downloads per day, per link. The limit resets every 24-hour period.”
• The UI can be slower to use, compared to other options on this list, and slower to sync data

Terabox: 1 TB Free Storage

Terabox is a relatively new cloud storage platform that offers up to 1 TB of free storage for its users. This truly sets them apart, as no other platform even has close to 1 TB of free storage on the cloud. However, some privacy issues may make you hesitant to trust them with sensitive data. Still, it doesn’t mean you can’t use it for storing less sensitive files. Right now, Terabox is offering 2 TBs for as low as $3.49!

Pros:

• Insanely high amount of 1 TB for free cloud storage
• Available on multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, and mobile phones
• File type organization makes it easier to sort files in your cloud storage, by type
• You can limit the duration a shared file link stays active
• Well, 1 TB of free storage on the cloud is no joke, right?

Cons:

• A maximum of 500 files can be stored on the cloud
• 4 GB file upload restriction and safe storage space of 200 MB
• Only support for 720p video playback quality in free cloud tier
• Genuine data security issues since Terabox used to be DuBox. Baidu owned cloud storage which also offered 1 TB free cloud storage in China; however, after some time, threatened people to upgrade or lose their data forever
• According to their privacy policy, they may share customer data with customer service and the IT department to assist their clients. In addition, the policy also states that they may share data with authorities in certain situations.
• Can only open a limited number of file types from the cloud storage; cannot open simple file types like PDF or ZIP
• No third party integrations with apps like Microsoft Office or Google Work Apps

Bonus: Amazon S3 Glacier

Amazon’s Simple Storage Service or S3 Glacier provides a redundant data storage infrastructure for storing data on the cloud. In addition, Amazon’s S3 Glacier is a secure, low cost and durable (99.999999999% per their website with nine zeros) cloud storage service.

It is the most economical and elastic cloud storage on this list. Why? For context, if you want 1 TB, it roughly accounts for only $4 per month. Isn’t that great? I think so.

There are three cloud archival storage classes with different retrieval patterns and storage duration:

1. Glacier Instant Retrieval 
2. S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval 
3. S3 Glacier Deep Archive 

Pros:

• Per Amazon’s policy, Amazon S3 Glacier offers 10 GB retrieval each month
• Scalability in your storage options; pay for what you really need and never a dime more with $0.004 per GB; you don’t have to buy pre-packaged tiers
• Advanced search options with a query options for better analytics and archival
• AWS handles admin tasks such as capacity planning; so, no need to maintain archival database
• S3 Glacier is distributed across multiple physical AWS Availability Zones at a time, increasing the durability of stored data

Cons:

• It is complex to set up, even by AWS standards
• There is no graphical interface so it can be hard to see what you are doing since you can only run commands on the CLI
• S3 Glacier can be expensive if you are carefree
• No app available on desktop or mobile phones
• Complicated to use and you could make mistakes on the CLI

Conclusion: What is The Best Free Cloud Storage Service For You?

In conclusion, you should consider these top free cloud storage services. So far, in 2023, there are many great free cloud storage options. Therefore, weigh the pros and cons of each on this list depending on your needs.

For me, a streamlined UI/UX and upload/download speeds matter. In addition, there are other factors like storage amount and security. So, it’s your choice which features you prefer over others. As a result, it is hard to find just one size fits all in these cases. Hence, you must keep an open mind and consider all factors when choosing.

If you like this post, please let me know below. I would love to hear your thoughts on which cloud storage service you use and why. Also, comment below if you found this post to be resourceful in helping you choose the right cloud storage service for you. Furthermore, there are many exciting posts on our blog you can check out if you enjoyed this one. For instance, Fingerprint Matching in Python and Nextcloud with Docker are a couple of examples.

Nextcloud is a free cloud storage service you can build on your private server with Docker. Nextcloud, like Sesame Disk by Nihao Cloud, lets you collaborate with open office, sync files and share with your friend or colleague, among various options. Moreover it’s free and open source, but you can also buy enterprise offers with more features.

A key advantage of using free and open source cloud storage like Nextcloud is that it offers you complete control and freedom that you won’t find in many cloud storage services. Moreover, it’s like your own “private” cloud storage service.

But on the contrary, it’s going to be on you if it falls or if there are any problems that need resolving.

Benefit of Using Nextcloud: Cloud Storage with Docker

One of the easier and beneficial ways is to use Nextcloud by installing the cloud storage on your private server with Docker. This is suitable for schools, companies, and the government. Why? The agency wants to create personal cloud storage to keep its data from being publicly accessed. Enterprise support also helps with a problem on your server or Nextcloud cloud storage product.

Nextcloud can also integrate with Microsoft Outlook and a whole range of options. This is good if you use Microsoft Outlook for your emails.

In addition, you can also sync Nextcloud on several applications like Mozilla thunderbird. Also, you can sync calendars and contacts and share the file links with your friend and coworkers.

Requirements to Install Nextcloud Cloud Storage with Docker

These are the resources I used for this post– but you can use any configuration that works. Remember that there are several other ways to follow this tutorial. For all intents and purposes, you can install Nextcloud on any OS as long as you have Docker.

• Ubuntu 20.04
• Docker
• Docker-compose
• A domain to access cloud storage if you want public access

Install Docker on Ubuntu 20.04

In this step, I will install Docker on ubuntu 20.04, prepared to deploy Nextcloud. I will install Docker using bash shell. But first, you need to install curl.

root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~# apt update && apt install curl -y

After installing curl, download the bash shell to install Docker.

root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~#  curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh

Next, change the get-docker.sh permissions to be system readable, and then run the bash shell get-docker.sh.

root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~# chmod +x get-docker.sh

After that, the bash shell get-docker.sh is ready for to run:

root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~# ./get-docker.sh

Then, wait for the installation process to finish.

After the installation is complete, test docker-compose to start configuring Nextcloud on Docker.

root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~# apt install docker-compose -y

After installing docker-compose, let’s create a docker-compose configuration file to deploy Nextcloud.

Create Configuration docker-compose File

In this section, I will create a docker-compose configuration file for deploying Nextcloud. I use Vim as a text editor here on Linux. You can use any text editor that you prefer, like Nano, etc.

root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~# vi docker-compose.yml

Here is the content of the docker-compose.yml file after the changes made for the Nextcloud cloud storage on your server.

version: "3"
services:

# databases
 mariadb:
   image: mariadb:10.5
   restart: unless-stopped
   container_name: mariadb
   command: --transaction-isolation=READ-COMMITTED --binlog-format=ROW
   volumes:
     - db:/var/lib/mysql
   environment:
     - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=nextcloud123@
     - MYSQL_PASSWORD=nextcloud123@
     - MYSQL_DATABASE=nextcloud
     - MYSQL_USER=nextcloud
   cap_add:
     - all
   networks:
     default:
       aliases:
         - nextcloud

# nextcloud
 nextcloud:
   image: nextcloud
   restart: unless-stopped
   container_name: nextcloud
   ports:
     - 8080:80
   volumes:
     - nextcloud:/var/www/html
   environment:
     - MYSQL_DATABASE=nextcloud
     - MYSQL_PASSWORD=nextcloud123@
     - MYSQL_USER=nextcloud
     - MYSQL_HOST=mariadb
   cap_add:
     - all
   networks:
     default:
       aliases:
         - nextcloud

volumes:
  db:
  nextcloud:

Next, I have created a docker-compose file for deploying Nextcloud. After that, run the command to deploy Nextcloud on a private server with Docker.

root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~# docker-compose up -d

Then, wait for the docker-compose up -d process to run.

When the build process with docker-compose completes, check if the application on the container is running properly.

Okay, the Nextcloud container is running properly now.

Configure Firewall to Secure Nextcloud

In this section, you will learn how to make Nextcloud accessible using a domain and how to secure the server with ufw.

Firstly, open the http and https ports to access Nextcloud cloud storage with a private server. Then, enable ufw to ensure the application on the server remains secure and only accesses certain ports. Don’t forget to allow the ssh port before enabling ufw, though.

root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~# ufw allow ssh
Rules updated
Rules updated (v6)
root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~# ufw enable
Command may disrupt existing ssh connections. Proceed with operation (y|n)? y
Firewall is active and enabled on system startup

Once that is done, enable http and https ports to allow Nextcloud to be accessed using these ports on the server.

root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~# ufw allow 80/tcp
Rule added
Rule added (v6)
root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~# ufw allow 443/tcp
Rule added
Rule added (v6)

After that, check the status of ufw to see if it is running properly.

Configure Nginx to Access Nextcloud with Domain and Docker

How can you install Nginx to make Nextcloud accessible? By using a domain set up on Nginx Webserver with a reverse proxy.

apt install nginx -y

Using Letsencrypt and Certbot

After installing Nginx, don’t forget to also install certbot to create ssl.

apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

After cerbot has been installed, create SSL for the Nextcloud domain. I have used the nextcloud.bettercoffee.dev domain here, as you can see below.

certbot --nginx -d nextcloud.bettercoffee.dev

Having generated SSL with the nextcloud.bettercoffee.dev domain, Nextcloud has been made more accessible with the domain. Next, let’s create an Nginx configuration file.

i /etc/nginx/conf.d/nextcloud.bettercoffee.dev.conf

Here is the content from nextcloud.bettercoffee.dev.conf file.

upstream nextcloud {
  server localhost:8080;
}

server {
  listen 80;
  server_name nextcloud.bettercoffee.dev;
  return 301 https://nextcloud.bettercoffee.dev;
}

server {
  listen 443 ssl http2;
  server_name nextcloud.bettercoffee.dev;
  ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/nextcloud.bettercoffee.dev/fullchain.pem;
  ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/nextcloud.bettercoffee.dev/privkey.pem;

  gzip on;
  gzip_proxied any;
  gzip_comp_level 4;
  gzip_types text/css application/javascript image/svg+xml;

  location / {
    proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
    proxy_pass http://nextcloud;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Host $host:$server_port;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Server $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
  }
}

Then, to check if the Nginx configuration is working properly, test it.

root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~# nginx -t
nginx: the configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf syntax is ok
nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test is successful

After thar, simply reload Nginx with this command:

root@ubuntu-sgp-busan:~# nginx -s reload

Open Nextcloud: Private Cloud Storage with Server on Browser

You have finished setting up the domain on Nginx! Now, you can access Nextcloud in the browser using the domain we already set up.

To do that, I have opened a browser– Google Chrome, but you can use any browser you prefer– to access Nextcloud with this domain set up on the Nginx server.

After that, create an admin username and password to configure Nextcloud. Then, click install and wait for the installation to complete. After the installation, you will be presented with an option to install recommended apps. You can cancel if you want; that’s what I chose.

Great! You have successfully installed Nextcloud on our private server with Docker.

Now, let’s try to upload the file using the Nextcloud dashboard. Cool, the file has also been uploaded successfully!

Create a User to Login to Nextcloud Cloud Storage

At this point, you can create a user to log in to your Nextcloud cloud storage. If you want to create a user, select a page on the profile and select users.

To add a user from the users’ page Nextcloud, you can select the new user option in the left corner, then add a username, display name, password, and email. You can also add that user to your group if you have a group.

There are many features in Nextcloud, one of which lets you you customize the display and add other apps contained in Nextcloud. We can see all the features on the app page in the profile.

Conclusion: Deploy Nextcloud Cloud Storage with Docker

Nextcloud has many features for me to recommend to build it on your server. With Nextcloud, you can collaborate with people in your organization and add users for your needs, make customizations on Nextcloud, and, of course, create private cloud storage for you to use. With all these advantages in the Nextcloud enterprise version, you need to add more costs to get dedicated support from Nextcloud after you select a tier. But you can also use the Nextcloud community for your help.

Suppose you don’t want to bother building a cloud storage server in your organization. In that case, you can use Nihao Cloud with several advantages, including trying freemium for free accessing cloud storage and saving your data on Nihao Cloud. Your file gets secure with end-to-end encryption and is guaranteed to be secure for you to use. When you have business in various places, and maybe one of them is in china. You can use Nihao Cloud as your preferred cloud storage provider.

If you like this post, please let me know below. I would love it if you commented below if you learned something form this post or if you face any issues in this tutorial. There are many exciting posts on our blog you can check out if you enjoyed this one. Fingerprint Matching in Python and Video Conferencing with Jitsi on K8s are a couple of examples.

Edited by: Syed Umar Bukhari.

The typical reseller of Cloud Storage who would become successful with us has many contacts, has some basic knowledge about tech and the cloud storage service we provide, but is not a hard requirement. We will train you on anything you might need, help you create your material and of course share the profit. You close the deal and we handle most of the rest.

The process goes as follows;

First you reach out to us and explain who you are and a general description of how you think you can sell our service.
Second we will have to ask you for further information the possibility of a deal and your actual capabilities. It’s not an automatic process, there will be a person talking to you to make sure we are on the same page and we might also need to double check some personal details about you.

Third once we agree on the conditions of the deal your start selling.

Fourth you close deals and start get your payment monthly per volume of sales.

To get started as a reseller

Additional information for resellers

Finally we also advise you to give us a try, so you understand how the service works and the goos ad bad things about it. We will also answer all your questions about it and listen to your feedback to improve. Follow the link to register if you do not have an account, it’s free to start. you can read more about our products in this resource.

The cloud and DevOps are the new kids on the block. They might not be what you expect, but together they make a good team. Cloud is known for providing scalable resources and DevOps is known for automation of deployment processes. Together these two technologies will help to implement new software faster than ever before!
The relationship between cloud and DevOps is like that of peanut butter and jelly- it just makes sense! 😂 Imagine your company having all of its resources in one place, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS). Now imagine how much time you would save if there was no need to purchase physical servers or spend hours configuring them individually. This dream becomes reality thanks to our favorite tech couple: Cloud and DevOps 😍

Development teams look for new tools, methods, and approaches for developing and delivering the most advanced technologies every day. For many of today’s most creative innovators, the cloud offers a scalable and adaptable route to success. It provides novel security, automation, and development options. Integrating DevOps into the cloud enables businesses to compete more effectively in a complex and ever-changing industry. Rather than reinventing DevOps, effective cloud integration requires implementing and adopting best engineering practices.

In this article, we’ll look at what DevOps is and how it works, as well as the connection between cloud and DevOps, cloud-based DevOps solutions, and the benefits of cloud-based DevOps solutions.

What is DevOps?

DevOps is a technique that companies use to manage the development and release of software. DevOps is a methodology for rapidly providing services and applications. The development approach combines software development and operations into a unified process emphasizing automation and efficiency.

The goal of DevOps is to have frequent incremental improvements rather than periodic significant releases. This method enables businesses to produce higher-quality software products more smoothly and effectively.

The primary benefits of DevOps in today’s environment are as follows:

• Effective application release automation 
• Infrastructure automation choices
• CI/CD
• Rapid Delivery with Agile frameworks
• Rapid issue resolution

How DevOps works?

Development and operations teams do not divide themselves in the DevOps environment, as they would be in traditional development setups. In specific scenarios, these two teams combine to form a single unit where engineers may work throughout the entire development lifecycle, from development to deployment and operations.

Here, you may acquire a variety of talents unrelated to any particular role. Security mechanisms and quality assurance may become increasingly engaged in the application development lifecycle in some instances. When everyone on a DevOps team focuses on security, the team becomes a DevSecOps solution.

In a DevOps environment, teams use a variety of techniques to automate formerly laborious and slow operations. They use the most advanced technology available to accelerate the development of apps. For example, in DevOps, automating tasks like code deployment and infrastructure provisioning that previously needed assistance from other teams to improve the team’s pace.

What is the relationship between DevOps and Cloud?

Both cloud computing and DevOps have plenty of other advantages in the area of the agile enterprise. Cloud technology enables businesses to access an infinite number of features and solutions at their own pace. There is no limit to the amount of capability that a company may access through the cloud. Cloud technology enables rapid feature upgrades and enhancements in any setting.

Similarly, DevOps fosters an agile workplace for all parties involved. Both systems provide distinct advantages in terms of speed and production. However, when cloud and DevOps combine, their capabilities complement one another, resulting in an even more attractive solution.

The cloud enables centralized deployments and may include built-in DevOps assistance. For instance, if DevOps teams are required to build the components of a solution in a particular manner, the cloud’s sophisticated automation capabilities may help simplify and repeat the process.

Cloud-Based DevOps Tools

Nowadays, you can operate your complete DevOps stack in the cloud through cloud-managed DevOps solutions. We have discussed two of the most popular ones: Azure DevOps and AWS DevOps.

Azure Cloud and DevOps

Microsoft’s integrated DevOps platform is Azure DevOps (previously known as Visual Studio Team System or VSTS). It allows you to manage the whole of your DevOps cycle via a single integrated interface. While Azure DevOps Services is a cloud-based DevOps solution that you may use as a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) application, Azure DevOps Server is a self-hosted on-premises version of the same product.

Microsoft’s DevOps solution comprises several products, each of which addresses a unique step of your process. Azure Boards enable planning and project management. The Azure Pipeline is a continuous integration and delivery tool. Azure Repos provides cloud-hosted Git repositories, Azure Test Plans is a testing toolkit, and Azure Artifacts enable the creation, management, and deployment of packages.

However, you don’t need to utilize all of the tools included in Azure DevOps Services; you may alternatively subscribe to them separately. If you need more capabilities, the Visual Studio Marketplace has over 1,000 Azure DevOps extensions, including integrations, statistics, visualizations, and crash reporting.

AWS Cloud and DevOps

AWS DevOps is a service offered by Amazon Web Services that consists of a collection of integrated DevOps tools for managing the entire software development lifecycle. While AWS is mainly utilized in the cloud, you can also run all the tools on-premises using AWS Outposts, which enable you to deploy any AWS infrastructure component on your in-house server.

In contrast to Azure DevOps Services, a PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) solution, AWS is an IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) solution, which means it is connected to the underlying infrastructure. While packages may be deployed from Azure DevOps Platform to another environment, such as AWS, the opposite is not feasible. You can only deploy to AWS infrastructure through AWS DevOps, such as EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) or S3 (Simple Storage Service).

AWS DevOps toolset includes:

• A continuous integration/continuous delivery service called AWS CodePipeline.
• A managed service build tool called AWS CodeBuild.
• A deployment automation tool called AWS CodeDeploy.
• A platform for managing DevOps projects called AWS CodeStar.

In general, AWS DevOps is probably the most refined DevOps platform for existing or prospective Amazon Web Services customers.

Which one to choose between Azure and AWS?

The primary distinction between the Azure and AWS DevOps toolsets is how they integrate with their respective platforms. Both products, for obvious reasons, combine the appearance and feel of their different cloud platform’s user interfaces. AWS DevOps is much simpler to get started with, while the Azure DevOps suite is more integrated across the various Azure DevOps toolsets and has a considerably more extensive set of integrations with the whole Azure Marketplace.

Moreover, upon choosing, it all comes down to what your employer thinks. That is, whatever job you get is of primary importance. If the sole job available targets Azure systems, then focus on completing an Azure DevOps certification. On the other hand, the industry has shifted toward AWS. Many companies and hiring managers prefer individuals with an AWS-based DevOps certification, owing to AWS’s increasing market dominance and various other fundamental options that perform better when AWS systems are used.

Apart from that, it all comes down to your work needs and which one you believe is most advantageous for you since this is the only way to choose between the two and seek a source of DevOps certifications.

Advantages of cloud computing DevOps

Cloud solutions and DevOps complement one another well in an environment designed for agility and adaptability. When DevOps and cloud computing are integrated, they can significantly improve the software development lifecycle. Businesses that use DevOps in the cloud may improve software delivery performance by an average of 81 percent.

The following are the primary advantages of cloud-based DevOps:

Automation options based on the cloud

Automation is a critical component of DevOps efficiency. Numerous cloud platforms provide sophisticated automation capabilities for DevOps operations, such as continuous development and integration. These technologies provide uniformity and efficiency while requiring less human involvement.

Centralized platform

The cloud offers a centralized framework from which businesses can manage all aspects of their production workloads, including testing, deployment, monitoring, and operation. This enables you to keep track of everything in one location. When all of your DevOps information is in one place, it’s simpler to manage compliance and security. This way, you may get even more actionable insights and business information.

Scalable infrastructure

The cloud is the most cost-effective method to guarantee that you can scale up or down any infrastructure required without spending a fortune on equipment. As a result of this scalability, DevOps is a highly effective way to roll out new features, functionality, and possibilities as your company develops. You can mix cloud computing with DevOps agility to provide limitless development possibilities for your organization.

Agile development

The cloud can offer a variety of staging and testing servers, allowing DevOps teams to continue working while waiting for servers to become available. Utilizing DevOps across the cloud environment enables teams to experiment more freely since builds may occur more often. DevOps teams can rapidly provision servers that meet their requirements.

Reliability and stability

Since cloud providers emphasize availability and stability, they can manage and maintain all aspects of the platform. Instead of worrying about these problems, IT firms can concentrate on product development, which results in better product performance, user experience, and speed to market. The key to success, in this case, is selecting a cloud provider capable of delivering the appropriate degree of uptime for your company.

Conclusion

Cloud computing, on its whole, has risen in popularity over the last several years. Businesses of all sizes can discover how a cloud environment enables them to develop at their speed. Just as cloud communications continue to increase in popularity, cloud-based development and application management procedures become more attractive as your team realizes the full advantages of cloud-based DevOps.

Later, you’ll find that you’re using various DevOps techniques to increase the efficiency of your whole workforce. When this occurs, your team’s performance and efficiency are sure to soar.  There are no limits to what your DevOps team and the cloud can achieve with the proper cloud provider guiding and supporting you.

Cloud computing has revolutionized the way we do everything. We keep our photos, music files, and other important documents on Cloud storage systems that are globally distributed for easy access anywhere in the world! Cloud computing is a system of storing data on the internet. Instead of storing your files in one place, like on an internal hard drive or external USB memory device (which can be risky), you upload them to cloud storage where they’re safe from physical damage and hackers with access to other parts of their network who might want what’s inside- like me😂.

Post updated on November, 2021

The main benefits are convenience: anytime anywhere there’s quick accessibility; cost-effectiveness because most providers offer monthly plans at low rates when compared against traditional solutions per GB capacity. It also allows users more freedom over how much information is being stored by letting them choose between free accounts that have very little amounts available but allow unlimited reads/writes every day.

By 2025, cloud storage will have surpassed 100 zettabytes. To put this into context, a zettabyte is equal to one billion terabytes (or a trillion gigabytes), Doesn’t it sound massive amount of data Right ?🤔

On the same year, worldwide data storage will surpass 200 zettabytes, with around half of it being kept in the cloud. In 2015, just 25% of all computing data was kept in this manner.

Numerous cloud computing storage providers including Nihao Cloud provide various services that can be useful to the customer to a greater or lesser extent. This post will not be about our service at NiHao Cloud and I don’t have a favorite in this category since they’re all unique in their ways. Nevertheless, each cloud computing service has a few common words, which I have discussed below.

Cloud Storage Services: 

While hosting firms often provide various services, the primary one is data storage on the “cloud.” we will discuss some of the terms with respect to storage below:

Synchronization

Synchronization of files implies that whatever you save to the cloud on one device will be available on all of your other devices. Whether it’s movies, pictures, documents, or music, the cloud can save everything. Most hosting providers have already adopted this since it is the entire core of cloud computing storage. At work, upload your data and then access it when you get home. Additionally, they offer a desktop version that resembles an illusory drive on which you may save your data. It’s much more convenient to utilize the desktop version than repeated login into your account on your browser. It looked like such an intriguing method to save your info. 

Backup

While cloud storage needs you to store your data online actively, the backup function provides an alternative. It enables the smooth transfer of your data to the cloud for safekeeping. This is very useful if your hard disc fails or you lose your smartphone/notebook. Another method to accomplish this is to download backup apps to your mobile device, often already offered by cloud computing storage providers. You may select to save your pictures in your backup folder, erasing the photos stored on your phone in the process.

Numerous cloud storage providers do not even have a backup option. On the other hand, there are also plenty of them that are only for file backup.

File sharing:

The feature is self-explanatory. Are you collaborating with your mates on a class project or a task? Utilize numerous methods for sharing your files. You may either connect your folders or generate download links that you can share with your friends. This is probably one of the things that your physical storage lacks. To be quite candid, I can’t imagine functioning without cloud computing storage. Not to mention the hundreds of millions of individual users, but we’ll get to that later.

Versioning of objects:

Cloud storage enables this functionality. Once enabled, a history of file changes will maintain for all objects. This allows you to recover previous versions of your files or even recover erased data. Each item is endowed with specific characteristics that aid in its recognition. When you remove an item enabled for this feature, a duplicate of the object is immediately stored with attributes that help identify it. I suppose I should say that not all service providers provide this option in their free plans. Additionally, some do not include it in their payment plans.

File retrieval:

It’s comparable to object versioning. Some/most cloud services provided by default or via the installation of different add-ons can recover lost data. Some have a temporal restriction on how long data may be recovered, while others keep it forever. They are often kept in a subdirectory called “trash” or “deleted files.” If you are unable to locate it, it is most likely not included in your current plan. You may contact me, and I will gladly assist you by studying for you or just giving the knowledge direct from my brain. Additionally, you may consult my reviews section for additional information. Here is an example.

Third-party applications:

The box is an example of this. It integrates third-party applications such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Google Documents, and Google Sheets within the software itself. It’s one factor to consider while choosing a cloud storage provider. Few cloud services integrate third-party apps.

Cloud Storage Service Types

Not all cloud storage users have the exact needs or requirements. As a result, many cloud storage providers provide a variety of distinct cloud storage solutions.

Personal

Personal Cloud Storage While most cloud storage services let you access their remote servers, you may also set up your server at home to establish your cloud storage.

Western Digital My Cloud, for example, enables you to create a private server accessible only to you. There are a variety of reasons why this may be necessary. It’s ideal for streaming media — such as music and movies — inside your house since you can depend on your home network’s better speeds than you would receive streaming from a server over the internet.

It also means you won’t have to worry about your cloud vendor sniffing around and analyzing your files if your media material comes from less-than-trustworthy sources.

Private cloud storage, on the other hand, is essentially business-specific cloud storage. This is the process through which a company establishes its storage servers in-house.

There are various reasons why a company may want to create its private cloud storage, but one of the most compelling is that some companies are legally obliged to keep customer data on-premises.

Public

This is often understood when the term “cloud storage” is used. Google Drive and pCloud, for example, have whole racks of servers devoted to serving the public in data centers, enabling customers to keep their files in the cloud.

While these providers primarily serve the consumer data storage market, several cloud storage providers also provide business-oriented solutions for off-site data storage. In addition, check out our roundup of the top corporate cloud storage services.

Hybrid Storage

Combine the speed and security of private cloud storage with the simplicity and adaptability of public cloud storage, and you’ve found hybrid cloud storage, a novel approach to online file storage.

Hybrid cloud storage also enables you to mix your on-premises storage with that provided by a public cloud storage provider. This allows you to choose to store data locally and files remotely in the cloud.

This combines the best of both worlds and may be the optimal option for a wide variety of companies. As explained in our previous Microsoft Azure review, services like Microsoft Azure enable you to manage your hybrid cloud storage.

Best Cloud Storage Providers

Explore the world’s ten most popular cloud service providers. It may assist you in making the best decision for your company.

As per the cloud statistics, Google drive is the most used cloud storage platform.

Conclusion

This article will offer you a list of the top cloud storage service providers from which you can choose from several cloud-based services.
While our list includes current top cloud storage providers, there are many more high-quality providers that were left off. Additionally, you can use our data storage cloud services to ensure you’re receiving the best price possible on today’s best offers.

Are you a user of any of the items on our list? Do you believe there are any obvious omissions, or do you believe we were unfair (or too fair) to any of the providers we mentioned? Let us know what you think in the comments section below, and as always, we appreciate your time.

Moreover, Several cloud storage companies restrict their services to small enterprises, individuals, and mid-sized organizations, depending on their requirements.