List of the Top 7 Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) Providers for Chef in 2026

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) that includes adaptable computing, storage, and networking capabilities. Through services such as Google Compute Engine, users can create customizable virtual machine instances tailored to their workload requirements. GCP’s IaaS solutions enable organizations to provision infrastructure as needed and adjust it dynamically to meet changing demands. New users are welcomed with $300 in complimentary credits, allowing them to explore, test, and implement various workloads without any initial costs. These services are maintained on Google's extensive global infrastructure, guaranteeing optimal performance and minimal latency. Additionally, GCP's IaaS solutions prioritize security, featuring integrated encryption and identity management tools to safeguard applications and data.

PhoenixNAP, a prominent global provider of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), assists organizations across various scales in fulfilling their IT demands for performance, security, and scalability. With services accessible from key edge locations across the U.S., Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, phoenixNAP ensures that businesses can effectively expand into their desired regions. Their offerings include colocation, Hardware as a Service (HaaS), private and hybrid cloud solutions, backup services, disaster recovery, and security, all presented on an operating expense-friendly basis that enhances flexibility and minimizes costs. Built on cutting-edge technologies, their solutions offer robust redundancy, enhanced security, and superior connectivity. Organizations from diverse sectors and sizes can tap into phoenixNAP's infrastructure to adapt to their changing IT needs at any point in their growth journey, ensuring they remain competitive in the ever-evolving digital landscape. Additionally, the company’s commitment to innovation ensures that clients benefit from the latest advancements in technology.

Microsoft Azure is a dynamic cloud computing platform designed to streamline the development, testing, and management of applications with speed and security. By leveraging Azure, you can creatively turn your ideas into effective solutions, taking advantage of more than 100 services that support building, deploying, and managing applications across various environments such as the cloud, on-premises, or at the edge, all while using your preferred tools and frameworks. The ongoing innovations from Microsoft ensure that your current development requirements are met while also setting the stage for your future product goals. With a strong commitment to open-source values and support for all programming languages and frameworks, Azure grants you the flexibility to create and deploy in a manner that best fits your needs. Whether your infrastructure is on-premises, cloud-based, or edge-focused, Azure is equipped to evolve alongside your existing setup. It also provides specialized services for hybrid cloud frameworks, allowing for smooth integration and effective management. Security is a key pillar of Azure, underpinned by a skilled team and proactive compliance strategies that are trusted by a wide range of organizations, including enterprises, governments, and startups. With Azure, you gain a dependable cloud solution, supported by outstanding performance metrics that confirm its reliability. Furthermore, this platform not only addresses your immediate requirements but also prepares you for the future's dynamic challenges while fostering a culture of innovation and growth.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a global leader in cloud computing, providing the broadest and deepest set of cloud capabilities on the market. From compute and storage to advanced analytics, AI, and agentic automation, AWS enables organizations to build, scale, and transform their businesses. Enterprises rely on AWS for secure, compliant infrastructure while startups leverage it to launch quickly and innovate without heavy upfront costs. The platform’s extensive service catalog includes solutions for machine learning (Amazon SageMaker), serverless computing (AWS Lambda), global content delivery (Amazon CloudFront), and managed databases (Amazon DynamoDB). With the launch of Amazon Q Developer and AWS Transform, AWS is also pioneering the next wave of agentic AI and modernization technologies. Its infrastructure spans 120 availability zones in 38 regions, with expansion plans into Saudi Arabia, Chile, and Europe’s Sovereign Cloud, guaranteeing unmatched global reach. Customers benefit from real-time scalability, security trusted by the world’s largest enterprises, and automation that streamlines complex operations. AWS is also home to the largest global partner network, marketplace, and developer community, making adoption easier and more collaborative. Training, certifications, and digital courses further support workforce upskilling in cloud and AI. Backed by years of operational expertise and constant innovation, AWS continues to redefine how the world builds and runs technology in the cloud era.

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) is a versatile cloud service that provides secure and scalable computing resources. Its design focuses on making large-scale cloud computing more accessible for developers. The intuitive web service interface allows for quick acquisition and setup of capacity with ease. Users maintain complete control over their computing resources, functioning within Amazon's robust computing ecosystem. EC2 presents a wide array of compute, networking (with capabilities up to 400 Gbps), and storage solutions tailored to optimize cost efficiency for machine learning projects. Moreover, it enables the creation, testing, and deployment of macOS workloads whenever needed. Accessing environments is rapid, and capacity can be adjusted on-the-fly to suit demand, all while benefiting from AWS's flexible pay-as-you-go pricing structure. This on-demand infrastructure supports high-performance computing (HPC) applications, allowing for execution in a more efficient and economical way. Furthermore, Amazon EC2 provides a secure, reliable, high-performance computing foundation that is capable of meeting demanding business challenges while remaining adaptable to shifting needs. As businesses grow and evolve, EC2 continues to offer the necessary resources to innovate and stay competitive.

The capability for self-service and remote deployment of operating systems like Windows, CentOS, ESXi, and Ubuntu on physical servers revolutionizes your data center into a bare metal cloud environment. This Metal-As-A-Service (MAAS) framework facilitates provisioning across diverse systems, providing on-demand server functionalities alongside management of remote edge clusters. With its robust infrastructure monitoring and discovery capabilities, it integrates smoothly with automation tools such as Ansible, Chef, Puppet, SALT, and Juju, enabling quick installations from the ground up. Supporting a range of operating systems including VMware ESXi, Windows, CentOS, RHEL, and Ubuntu, the platform allows users to create tailored images with pre-installed applications and specific configurations for disk and network settings. Employing an API-driven methodology for critical services like DHCP, DNS, PXE, and IPAM, it streamlines the provisioning process through a REST API. Additionally, it enhances security through LDAP user authentication and role-based access control (RBAC). Integral to this solution are hardware testing and commissioning, designed to achieve the fastest operating system installation times within the industry, utilizing a highly optimized image-based installer. MAAS is compatible with all certified servers from top vendors and adeptly discovers servers housed in racks, chassis, and expansive data center networks, while also supporting prominent system BMCs and chassis controllers. Altogether, these features empower organizations to manage their infrastructure with greater efficiency, ultimately boosting operational productivity and reducing downtime.

With a single command, you can quickly set up an Ubuntu virtual machine using Multipass, which facilitates the creation and management of VMs while allowing configurations through cloud-init, similar to those found in public cloud platforms. This utility enables you to test cloud launches on your local system at no expense, and within just five minutes, you will discover how simply a lightweight cloud environment can be established. To begin, you can initiate multiple LTS instances, monitor their statuses, run commands, implement cloud-init configurations, and delete older instances as desired. For anyone aiming to excel at the Linux command line, the "Ubuntu Server CLI cheat sheet" acts as a handy guide for various skills, from fundamental file management to complex deployments such as Kubernetes and OpenStack. Additionally, Multipass comes equipped with a command line interface that streamlines the process of launching, managing, and engaging with Linux instances. You will notice that obtaining a new image is remarkably quick, allowing you to set up a fully functional VM in just a few minutes. Moreover, you have the option to create Ubuntu instances and initialize them with cloud-init metadata, akin to setups on major cloud providers like AWS, Azure, Google, IBM, and Oracle, which enables you to effectively replicate a cloud deployment right from your own workstation. This functionality significantly simplifies the process of experimenting and acquiring knowledge about cloud computing, eliminating the necessity for extensive resources. By leveraging these capabilities, users can deepen their understanding of cloud infrastructure and enhance their skills in an accessible manner.