Based on the deployment models and the purpose of usage, cloud computing is categorized into the following types:

• Private cloud: A cloud infrastructure that is dedicatedly set up and run for a sole organization and managed by that single organization is called a private cloud
• Community cloud: A cloud infrastructure set up by a group of organizations that have common requirements of security compliance and understanding and that share features and responsibilities to manage the infrastructure is called a community cloud
• Public cloud: A cloud infrastructure set up by one organization to sell features and space on the cloud to other organizations that want to maintain their applications on a cloud infrastructure but don't want to own it due to maintenance overheads or cost concerns is called a public cloud
• Hybrid cloud: A cloud infrastructure that is set up by combining a couple of the preceding cloud infrastructures, based on a common technology or purpose, such as cloud bursting, is called a hybrid cloud

The following image depicts the four types of cloud infrastructures we just discussed: