Almost everything in the cloud is built from three basic ingredients: something to run code (compute), something to hold data (storage), and something to connect it all (network).
The three building blocks
Building block
What it’s for
Example
Compute
Runs your code
An API server, a background worker
Storage
Holds your data
A database, uploaded files
Network
Connects everything
Letting your app privately reach its database
Pick the right tool for the data
Not all storage is the same:
Database — for data you’ll query (find users, filter orders).
Object storage — for files (images, videos, exported PDFs).
TIP
Don’t use a database as a place to dump files, and don’t use file storage as a substitute for a real database. Each is built for a different access pattern — picking the wrong one causes pain later (slow queries, awkward file handling).
In one sentence
Cloud systems combine compute (run code), storage (hold data), and network (connect it) — use a real database for queryable data and object storage for files, rather than mixing the two up.
Want to go deeper?
Switch to Expert mode above for block vs object vs database storage details and virtual private networks.