The public cloud is a cloud computing model in which resources such as computing power, storage, and networking are provided to multiple users over the internet by third-party vendors. These vendors, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), operate massive, globally distributed data centers that offer services on a pay-as-you-go or subscription basis.

Public cloud solutions allow businesses to access scalable and flexible computing resources without the need to manage their own physical infrastructure. This eliminates the overhead associated with maintaining servers, cooling systems, networking hardware, and security measures. Public cloud services are ideal for organizations that require rapid scaling, temporary resources for projects, or cost-effective storage solutions.

However, since the infrastructure is shared among multiple users, there can be concerns about data security, compliance, and governance in highly regulated industries. To address this, public cloud providers offer extensive security measures, data encryption, and compliance certifications.

Public cloud services are a crucial part of modern DevOps, AI, big data, and IoT applications due to their scalability and global accessibility.