PaaS vendor DotCloud today announced three additional functionalities for its PaaS platform, namely, vertical scaling, WebSocket support and support for MongoDB 2.0. DotCloud’s blog describes vertical scaling as an improvement in the “performance of a single service, most often a database” by way of the addition of new resources such as “RAM, CPU time, disk I/Os and more.” Vertical scaling is differentiated from horizontal scaling because of its focus on the addition of resources to a specific computing unit such as a server, whereas horizontal scaling is generally represented by the addition of servers to an existing server ecosystem. Typically offered by IaaS providers such as Amazon Web Services, vertical scaling is less common within the PaaS space. As such, DotCloud’s initiative to offer vertical cloud scaling builds upon a larger trend amongst PaaS vendors to deliver functionality that replicates the performance and scalability of IaaS vendors.
DotCloud also announced support for WebSockets that allows for bi-directional communication between web browsers and an application’s back-end database in real-time. WebSocket support is intended to enrich web-based application development, particularly as it relates to applications that depend upon frequent user interaction and feedback. Finally, DotCloud understands itself as “huge fans of MongoDB” and now supports MongoDB 2.0. In the wake of today’s announcement, DotCloud now supports multiple languages and technology stacks in addition to vertical scaling and support for WebSockets within a product offering that illustrates the increasing richness of the PaaS space.
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