* [Topics](/en/topics "Topics") * [Hybrid cloud](/en/topics/cloud-computing "Hybrid cloud") * Cloud vs. edge Cloud vs. edge ============== Published November 14, 2022•*3*-minute read Copy URL Jump to section --------------- OverviewAre edges clouds?Cloud, edge, & IoTCloud, edge, & 5GWhy Red Hat? Overview -------- A [cloud](/en/topics/cloud-computing) is an IT environment that abstracts, pools, and shares IT resources across a network. The [edge](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-edge-computing) refers to devices at or near the physical location of either the user or the source of the data. Cloud computing is the act of running workloads within clouds, while [edge computing](/en/topics/edge-computing) is the act of running workloads on edge devices. [Learn about Red Hat Device Edge](/en/technologies/device-edge "product | Red Hat Device Edge") Is an edge part of a cloud? --------------------------- There isn’t always a clear line where one ends and the other begins. Although edge and cloud are related ideas, they’re also different. *Edge devices* can contribute to a cloud, if the [storage](/en/topics/data-storage) and computing capabilities provided by those devices at the endpoints of a network are abstracted, pooled, and shared across a network—essentially becoming part of a larger [cloud infrastructure](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-cloud-infrastructure). *Edge computing* is distinct from cloud computing by definition, since it describes workloads that happen in remote locations that are outside of what are normally considered cloud environment—closer to where a physical device or data source actually exists. Here’s one model for thinking about cloud and edge: * **Clouds** are places where data can be stored or applications can run. They are software-defined environments created by datacenters or server farms. * **Edges** are also places where data is collected. They are physical environments made up of hardware outside a datacenter. * **Cloud computing** is an act; the act of running workloads in a cloud. * **Edge computing** is also an act; the act of running workloads on edge devices. An edge (location) is not the same thing as edge computing (action). Collecting data at the edge of a network and transferring it to a cloud with minimal (if any) modification is not edge computing—it’s just networking. But, if that data is collected and processed at the edge, then it’s edge computing. Edge computing is separate from clouds for 2 main reasons: 1. **Time sensitivity**. The rate at which a decision needs to be made doesn’t allow for the lag that would normally take place as data is collected by an edge device, transferred to a central cloud without modification, and then processed before a decision is sent back to the edge device for execution. 2. **Data volume**. The sheer volume of data collected is too much to send—unaltered—to a cloud. This video can't play due to privacy settings To change your settings, select the "Cookie Preferences" link in the footer and opt in to "Advertising Cookies or try disabling adblockers." Red Hat resources ----------------- [Keep reading](/en/resources "Keep reading") Cloud, edge, and IoT -------------------- Internet of Things (IoT) refers to any system of physical devices that receive and transfer data over wireless networks with limited human intervention. Cloud, edge, and IoTl *can* all be connected. But they don’t *have* to be connected. Clouds can exist without the [Internet of Things (IoT)](/en/topics/internet-of-things/what-is-iot) or edge devices. IoT and edge can exist without clouds. IoT can exist without edge devices or edge computing. IoT devices may connect to an edge or a cloud. Some edge devices connect to a cloud or private datacenter, others edge devices only connect to similarly central locations intermittently, and others never connect to anything—at all. But edge computing, when used as part of manufacturing, mining, processing, or shipping operations rarely exists without IoT. That’s because IoT devices—everyday physical objects that collect and transfer data or dictate actions like controlling switches, locks, motors, or robots—are the sources and destinations that edge devices process and activate without relying on a central location or cloud. For example: * **Home automation** is generally an IoT exercise. Your phone and smart home devices (light bulbs, thermostats, and outlets) are all IoT devices, because they simply send data—and execution decisions—back and forth (sometimes through a cloud). Neither your phone nor smart devices are processing the data they collect. * **Satellite imagery**—like the kind being used on the [International Space Station (ISS)](https://www.ibm.com/cloud/blog/ibm-develops-a-unique-custom-edge-computing-solution-in-space)— is an edge computing exercise. Edge devices physically located on the ISS are running containerized analytical code as a single-node [Red Hat® OpenShift®](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift) cluster that connects to IBM Cloud on Earth. Only images that are worth transfering are sent down to the ground. Edge computing is a necessary step here because the sheer volume of data collected is too much to send to an Earth-based cloud. [Why IoT and edge need to work together](/en/topics/edge-computing/iot-edge-computing-need-to-work-together "article | Why IoT and edge computing need to work together") Cloud, edge, and 5G ------------------- [5G](/en/topics/5g-networks/what-is-5g) refers to the fifth generation of mobile networks, representing upgrades in bandwidth and latency that enable services that weren’t possible under older networks. 5G is a transport mechanism that enhances the capabilities of cloud computing and edge computing—but 5G is not the edge, an edge device, or edge computing. Edge computing is a way to meet the performance and low latency requirements of 5G networks and improve the customer experience. [Mobile](/en/topics/mobile) edge computing is also not the same thing as edge computing. Said another way, your smartphone is (usually) not an edge device. [Learn more about 5G](/en/topics/5g-networks "Topic | understanding 5G") Why Red Hat? ------------ Because our recommended approach to enterprise technology doesn’t change depending on how or where you roll it out: Everything should just work—everywhere. In the datacenter. Across clouds. At the edge. This is the basic premise of an [open hybrid cloud strategy](/en/hybrid-cloud-solutions). An open hybrid cloud strategy lets you run applications on servers in datacenters or on edge devices across [multiple clouds](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-multicloud) without having to rebuild those apps, retrain people, or maintain disparate environments. And we have a broad ecosystem of [certified partners](https://connect.redhat.com/), including popular public cloud service providers like IBM Cloud, [Google Cloud](/en/partners/google), [Amazon Web Services (AWS)](/en/partners/aws/red-hat-on-aws), and [Microsoft Azure](/en/partners/microsoft/red-hat-on-azure). So let us help you [build a cloud](/en/topics/cloud-computing/why-choose-red-hat-cloud), [run workloads at the edge](/en/technologies/device-edge), and create a more [secure IT system](/en/topics/security) that totally abstracts the boundaries of space and place. [Here’s our approach to edge computing](/en/solutions/edge-computing-approach "Red Hat's approach to edge computing") The official Red Hat blog ------------------------- Get the latest information about our ecosystem of customers, partners, and communities. [Keep reading](/en/blog "The official Red Hat blog") All Red Hat product trials -------------------------- Our no-cost product trials help you gain hands-on experience, prepare for a certification, or assess if a product is right for your organization. [Keep reading](/en/products/trials "All Red Hat product trials") Keep reading ------------ ### What is hybrid cloud? Find out more about hybrid cloud, a combination of computing environments that share information and run a uniform series of applications. [Read the article](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-hybrid-cloud "article | what is hybrid cloud") ### What's the difference between cloud and virtualization? Learn the key differences between virtualization and cloud computing, their definitions, configurations, costs, scalability, tenancy, and security benefits. [Read the article](/en/topics/cloud-computing/cloud-vs-virtualization "article | what's the difference between cloud and virtualization") ### Why are financial services slow to adopt the cloud? Find out why the financial services industry is slow to adopt the cloud, and why it's still a good idea to get started. [Read the article](/en/topics/financial-services/why-financial-services-are-slow-to-adopt-cloud "article | Why are financial services slow to adopt the cloud?") Hybrid cloud resources ---------------------- ### Related content * Blog post [Closing the gap: Bringing AI and Kubernetes to the source of the data](/en/blog/closing-gap-bringing-ai-and-kubernetes-source-data) * Blog post [SAS Viya Platform with Red Hat OpenShift – Part 2: Security and Storage Considerations](/en/blog/sas-viya-on-red-hat-openshift-part-2-security-and-storage-considerations) * Blog post [SAS Viya Platform with Red Hat OpenShift – Part 1: Reference Architecture and Deployment Considerations](/en/blog/sas-viya-on-red-hat-openshift-part-1-reference-architecture-and-deployment-considerations) * Blog post [AI in telco – the catalyst for scaling digital business](/en/blog/ai-telco-catalyst-scaling-digital-business) ### Related articles * [What is edge AI?](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-edge-ai) * [What is IoT Edge computing?](/en/topics/edge-computing/iot-edge-computing-need-to-work-together) * [Linux for cloud computing](/en/topics/linux/linux-for-cloud-computing) * [The evolution to a 5G core network](/en/topics/5g-networks/evolution-to-a-5g-core) * [Edge computing with Red Hat OpenShift](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/edge-computing) * [What is cloud migration? And how can automation help?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-cloud-migration) * [Why run Linux on AWS?](/en/topics/linux/linux-on-aws) * [What is hybrid cloud?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-hybrid-cloud) * [What is serverless?](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/what-is-serverless) * [Why choose Red Hat Enterprise Linux on Azure?](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/why-choose-red-hat-enterprise-linux-on-azure) * [What's the difference between cloud and virtualization?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/cloud-vs-virtualization) * [Why choose Red Hat Enterprise Linux on AWS?](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/why-choose-red-hat-enterprise-linux-on-aws) * [What is CloudOps?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-cloudops) * [Linux on Azure](/en/topics/linux/linux-on-azure) * [Edge solutions for real-time decision making](/en/topics/edge-computing/edge-solutions-real-time-decision-making) * [Why run Linux on Google Cloud?](/en/topics/linux/linux-on-google-cloud) * [How to manage and automate applications at the edge](/en/topics/edge-computing/how-to-manage-automate-applications-edge) * [Why choose Red Hat Enterprise Linux on Google Cloud?](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/why-choose-red-hat-enterprise-linux-google-cloud) * [What is OT orchestration in manufacturing?](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-ot-orchestration-manufacturing) * [Why are financial services slow to adopt the cloud?](/en/topics/financial-services/why-financial-services-are-slow-to-adopt-cloud) * [What is MicroShift?](/en/topics/edge-computing/microshift) * [Why choose Red Hat for edge computing?](/en/topics/edge-computing/why-choose-red-hat-edge-computing) * [How telcos can achieve their sustainability goals](/en/topics/telecommunications/telcos-achieve-sustainability-goals) * [Retail store transformation with edge](/en/topics/edge-computing/retail-store-transformation-with-edge) * [What is private 5G?](/en/topics/5g-networks/what-is-private-5g) * [What is edge security?](/en/topics/security/what-is-edge-security) * [What is Cloud Foundry?](/en/topics/application-modernization/what-is-cloud-foundry) * [What is the role of the cloud in embedded finance?](/en/topics/financial-services/the-role-of-cloud-in-embedded-finance) * [OpenShift vs. OpenStack: What are the differences?](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/openshift-vs-openstack) * [Cloud services for financial services](/en/topics/financial-services/cloud-services-for-financial-services) * [Kubernetes vs OpenStack](/en/topics/openstack/kubernetes-vs-openstack) * [What is telco cloud?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-telco-cloud) * [What is cloud orchestration?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-cloud-orchestration) * [What is cloud governance?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-cloud-governance) * [What is a latency-sensitive application?](/en/topics/edge-computing/latency-sensitive-applications) * [What is carrier-grade?](/en/topics/5g-networks/what-is-carrier-grade) * [How edge helps solve connectivity issues](/en/topics/edge-computing/how-edge-solves-connectivity-issues) * [What is public cloud?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-public-cloud) * [Why build a Red Hat cloud?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/why-choose-red-hat-cloud) * [What is edge architecture?](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-edge-architecture) * [What is edge machine learning?](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-edge-machine-learning) * [What is multicloud?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-multicloud) * [What is cloud architecture?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-cloud-architecture) * [What is operational technology (OT)?](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-ot) * [Understanding edge computing for manufacturing](/en/topics/edge-computing/manufacturing) * [Types of cloud computing](/en/topics/cloud-computing/public-cloud-vs-private-cloud-and-hybrid-cloud) * [What is cloud automation?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-cloud-automation) * [What is multi-access edge computing?](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-multi-access-edge-computing) * [What is MPLS?](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-mpls) * [What is SD-WAN?](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-sd-wan) * [What is cloud-based digital banking?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-cloud-based-digital-banking) * [Do banking APIs benefit from cloud technology?](/en/topics/api/banking-api) * [What is an autonomous vehicle?](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-an-autonomous-vehicle) * [What is IIoT?](/en/topics/internet-of-things/what-is-iiot) * [What is edge computing?](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-edge-computing) * [What is 5G?](/en/topics/5g-networks/what-is-5g) * [Understanding edge computing for telecommunications](/en/topics/edge-computing/telecommunications) * [What is payments infrastructure?](/en/topics/financial-services/what-is-payments-infrastructure) * [What is multitenancy?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-multitenancy) * [What is private cloud?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-private-cloud) * [What is IT infrastructure?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-it-infrastructure) * [What is cloud infrastructure?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-cloud-infrastructure) * [Hybrid cloud security](/en/topics/security/what-is-hybrid-cloud-security) * [What is IoT?](/en/topics/internet-of-things/what-is-iot) * [What is cloud storage?](/en/topics/data-storage/what-is-cloud-storage) * [What is cloud security](/en/topics/security/cloud-security) * [What is cloud management?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-cloud-management) [More about this topic](/en/topics/cloud-computing "More about this topic")