Engine Yard

Engine Yard is a platform as a service (PaaS) provider that automates, configures and deploys applications in the cloud. The platform uses Java, Ruby on Rails, PHP and Node.js for both large-scale and small-scale cloud deployments. Its capabilities include load balancing, backups, cloning and database replication.

Cloud application developers and architects choose Engine Yard for a number of reasons, including self-containment, independent infrastructure and control. Therefore, applications that use Engine Yard's platform are independently contained and do not share infrastructure or virtual machines. This eliminates performance problems caused by other users or the "noisy neighbor" effect.

Applications run directly on the infrastructure -- such as Amazon Web Services or Windows Azure -- so in the event of a platform outage, users can still access and run apps. Users can customize their application deployment and environment.

Engine Yard uses PostgreSQL and MySQL databases, AWS Simple Storage Service for backup and AWS Elastic Block Store. Users also have the ability to control when updates take place to their applications, and use custom Chef recipes for app configurations.

Engine Yard was founded in 2006 by Tom Mornini, Ezra Zygmuntowicz, Lance Walley and Jayson Vantuyl. The company is based in San Francisco, California and has offices in Portland, Oregon, Tokyo and Dublin. Similar PaaS offerings and competitors include OpenShift, Google App Engine and Heroku.

Add-ons for databases, performance monitoring and other capabilities include:

• Airbrake: tracks application exceptions and errors
• AppFirst: manages and monitors application performance
• Appcelerator: platform for cross-device mobile app development
• BlazeMeter: PaaS for load testing and performance testing
• Blitz.IO: load testing and performance testing platform
• Boundary: monitors SaaS applications in real-time
• Boxcar: delivers notifications to desktops and mobile
• Braintree: processes credit card payments
• Brighter Planet: provides business intelligence
• Cenzic: tests for security vulnerabilities
• Chargify: manages recurring billing
• Client Insights Dashboard
• CloudFlare: content delivery network for performance and security
• CloudMailin: users receive incoming email through Webhooks
• Cloudinary: cloud-based image management
• Codeship: hosted continuous integration and deployment
• CopperEgg: monitors cloud performance
• DNSimple: provides DNS and domain management
• DocRaptor: generates PDF and XLS documents
• Dynect SMB: domain name system for small and medium businesses
• Exceptional: tracks errors and exceptions
• Filepicker: file system as a service that connects applications and services
• Infochimps Geo API: data source that accesses geographic data points
• Inkdit: tools for electronic signatures and contracts
• IronMQ: hosted message queue service
• IronWorker: hosted worker queue
• Janrain: user management platform
• JustOneDB: relational database for big data
• Librato Metrics: monitors and analyzes business metrics
• Logentries: SaaS for log management
• Loggly: platform for log management in the cloud
• LucidWorks Cloud: platform for search application development
• Mailgun: API that sends, receives and stores emails
• MongoHQ: database as a service
• MongoLab: deploys MongoDB with various cloud providers
• New Relic: SaaS for application performance management
• Nodetime: manages application performance for Node.js
• OneSky: mobile and Web applications translation service
• Panopta: monitors network servers and services
• Papertrail: cloud-based log management
• PhraseApp: website and mobile app translation management
• Plivo: cloud-based API for voice applications
• Postgres Plus Cloud Server: database as a service for PostgreSQL
• Postmark: delivers Web application emails
• PubNub: cloud service for real-time application communications
• Pusher: hosted API for real-time messaging
• ReportGrid API: big data analytics and reporting
• Riak EDS: distributed database for cloud data management
• Sauce Labs: cross browser testing for mobile and Web applications
• Scout Monitoring: monitors server and application performance
• SendGrid: email delivery service
• Solano Labs: SaaS that builds and tests software in the cloud
• SpacialDB: Geospatial cloud database service
• Spreedly: cloud-based credit card payment service
• StatsMix: tracks application and business metrics
• StillAlive: monitors Web application performance
• Stripe: services for mobile and Web credit card payments
• Tinfoil Security: monitors websites for security vulnerabilities
• Totango: monitors customer engagement
• Twilio: provides APIs for communication applications
• Usersnap: screenshot tool for browser content
• Websolr: provides full text search for applications
• Zencoder: SaaS for cloud-based video and audio encoding
• Zendesk: cloud-based help desk software for customer support