PaizaCloud Cloud IDE

Overview

PaizaCloud Cloud IDE is a browser-based development environment for building and running projects on a Linux server. It is best suited to learners, educators and developers who want a ready-made workspace rather than a local setup. Its strongest case is the combination of editing tools and project services in one browser workspace; the free tier’s short runtime and the BASIC-only publishing option narrow its appeal for public deployments.

Key features

The workspace brings file management, a code editor, terminal, web server and database server together in the browser. An in-browser browser provides a way to view web applications from the same workspace, and users can install or create additional apps. The maker says a new development server starts in about three seconds, which can make it practical to get a lesson or coding session underway without first configuring a machine.

Listed environments include LAMP, PHP, Ruby on Rails, JSP, Django, Node.js, Laravel, Go, Express and MEAN stack, as well as Jupyter Notebook and Git. That range suits varied web-development exercises and projects, though the cloud environment is specified as Linux (Ubuntu 18.04). Workspace sharing and SSH access add collaboration and command-line options, but do not change the plan’s runtime or publishing limits.

Pricing

FREE costs nothing. It includes one server, up to 24 hours of server lifetime, up to four hours of continuous running while the browser is open, and 1 GB of disk. Application publishing is unavailable. It is a useful way to try the workspace or run short sessions, but the caps make it a poor fit for persistent work or a public application.

LITE costs $9.80 a month, billed monthly. It raises the allocation to three servers, unlimited server lifetime and 2 GB of disk, but continuous running remains limited to four hours while the browser is open, and application publishing is still unavailable. It suits users who need more than one server and longer-lived environments, not those who need an always-on public app.

BASIC costs $19.80 a month, billed monthly. It includes one always-on server plus three limited-running servers, unlimited server lifetime, application publishing and 4 GB of disk. Additional always-on servers cost $19.80 per month each. This is the appropriate tier for publishing a public web application, while its higher cost and one included always-on server may be more than a learner needs.

Platforms

PaizaCloud runs in a browser and lists Android, iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows among its platforms. Recommended client systems include Windows 8.1 or later, Mac OS X 10.13 or later, iOS 12 or later and Android 8 or later. The cloud development environment itself runs Linux (Ubuntu 18.04).

Who it's for

The ready-to-use browser workspace makes PaizaCloud a sensible choice for programming beginners, teachers, instructors, schools and bootcamps, as well as developers who want to code without setting up a local environment. Its shared workspaces can support collaborative teaching or project work. Choose another approach if you need public application publishing without BASIC, or continuous running without keeping the browser open on the lower tiers.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Editor, terminal, web server and database server are combined in one browser workspace, reducing the need to assemble a development setup locally.
• Pros: A wide selection of listed language environments and tools supports varied web-development work.
• Pros: Workspace sharing and SSH access offer collaboration and command-line access.
• Cons: FREE limits server lifetime to 24 hours and continuous running to four hours with the browser open, restricting longer sessions.
• Cons: FREE and LITE cannot publish applications, so public deployment requires BASIC at $19.80 a month.
• Cons: Even LITE retains the four-hour continuous-running limit while the browser is open.

Alternatives

For a browser-based code editor on a free plan, ICEcoder is an alternative; its free plan is an MIT-licensed IDE framework. For a standalone editor rather than PaizaCloud’s hosted server workspace, consider Visual Studio Code, which has a free plan and supports Linux, macOS, Windows and web.

If a free code editor with a stated allowance for accepted edit predictions and external-agent or API-key support is a better fit, consider Zed. Apache NetBeans is a free IDE and platform for commercial or non-commercial use under Apache License 2.0. For a free open-source PHP IDE framework for Eclipse, consider Eclipse PHP Development Tools. IntelliJ IDEA offers a free core plan for Java and Kotlin. OpenIDE is a freemium IDE, and Geany is a free option.

Browse PHP IDEs, Cloud Development Environments or Coding Playgrounds to compare more options.

Verdict

PaizaCloud is a strong fit for learners, educators and developers who want a browser workspace with project services already in place, varied listed environments and shared access. The key reason to choose it is that it puts editing and server-side development tools together without requiring a local environment. Look elsewhere if you need public publishing on a free or lower-cost tier, or want the lower plans to run continuously without the browser open.