Cloud computing involves delivering computing services over the internet. It allows users to access software and storage remotely through web applications. The concept originated in the 1950s but Amazon launched the first major public cloud in 2006. Cloud components include clients (user devices), datacenters (server farms), and distributed servers which act as a single system. Services are delivered through software, platform, and infrastructure models. Clouds can be deployed publicly, privately, as a community, or in a hybrid configuration. Cloud computing is popular due to reduced costs, customization, reliability, and efficiency compared to local software management.
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