Is Amazon RDS IaaS or PaaS?

Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) is a cloud-based service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows users to set up, operate, and scale relational databases in the cloud. Technically speaking, Amazon RDS is a Database as a Service (DBaaS) offering, which is a subcategory of Platform as a Service (PaaS). This means that users do not have to worry about managing the underlying infrastructure or the operating system, as AWS takes care of these aspects. Instead, users can focus on managing their databases and the data stored within them.

However, some people might classify Amazon RDS as a subcategory of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) because it provides users with access to virtual machines (i.e., database instances) in the cloud.

In summary, while there may be some debate over whether Amazon RDS is more accurately classified as PaaS or IaaS, it is generally considered a DBaaS offering, which falls under the PaaS umbrella.