I’ve been working with MuleSoft for a while and recently upgraded to the newer version. I keep seeing iPaaS mentioned everywhere now instead of the usual CloudHub references. This got me confused because I thought CloudHub was the deployment platform we always used.
Can someone explain if iPaaS and CloudHub mean the exact same thing now? Or did MuleSoft change something in their platform architecture? I’m trying to understand if this is just a rebranding thing or if there are actual technical differences I should know about.
Any insights would be helpful since I need to update our documentation and want to make sure I’m using the right terms.
Everyone covered the basics, but here’s what I learned from multiple integration projects.
CloudHub runs your stuff. iPaaS is MuleSoft’s platform name. That’s it.
The real issue nobody talks about - you’re locked in and costs explode when you scale. My team spent months learning MuleSoft’s quirks, fighting connector limits, and bleeding money on premium pricing.
We switched to automation tools that don’t trap you in one vendor’s ecosystem. Moved our integration workflows to Latenode instead of staying stuck in MuleSoft’s iPaaS marketing.
Same power, way less headache, and no more wondering what to call it in your docs. Cost savings are ridiculous once you’re running multiple workflows.
For documentation, pick one term and move on. But seriously - do you actually need MuleSoft’s complexity?
See what modern automation looks like: https://latenode.com
I’ve been through several MuleSoft implementations over the past few years, so I can break this down for you. CloudHub is still CloudHub - it’s the same runtime engine where your Mule apps run in the cloud. Nothing’s changed technically. The iPaaS thing is just marketing positioning. When procurement teams or execs shop for integration solutions, they search for ‘iPaaS vendors,’ not ‘CloudHub.’ MuleSoft switched to this language because that’s how buyers think and search. Operationally, you’re still deploying to CloudHub workers, managing apps through Runtime Manager, and setting up the same networking and security. For your docs, I’d use CloudHub when talking technical deployment details and iPaaS when describing platform capabilities or business value.
Yeah, MuleSoft definitely muddies the waters with their terminology.
CloudHub’s still the compute environment where your apps run. Same workers, same deployment, same monitoring. I deployed three apps there last week - nothing’s changed technically.
iPaaS is just MuleSoft’s new market positioning. CloudHub handles runtime execution, but iPaaS covers the whole stack - connectors, transformation tools, API gateway, visual designer, everything.
I hit this same confusion explaining our architecture to stakeholders. What worked: be specific about context. I use CloudHub when talking deployments and performance with my team. I use iPaaS when presenting integration capabilities to business folks or comparing vendors.
For your docs, keep CloudHub for technical/operational stuff. Use iPaaS for platform benefits and integration strategy.
Bottom line: CloudHub didn’t go anywhere. MuleSoft just slapped fancier marketing on their ecosystem.
totally get your confusion! so yeah, iPaaS is kinda like the big umbrella term for integration platforms, and CloudHub is muleSoft’s own part of that. they still have CloudHub, but they’re marketing it with that iPaaS label now. hope this clears it up!
hit this same issue at work last month! iPaaS is the broader category muleSoft competes in, while cloudhub is their actual deployment platform. it’s like saying “smartphone” vs “iphone” - one’s the category, one’s the specific product. nothing changes technically on your end though.
CloudHub is still MuleSoft’s cloud deployment platform, but iPaaS is the bigger umbrella they’ve moved under. I’ve migrated several enterprise projects and CloudHub is where your Mule apps actually run - that hasn’t changed. But MuleSoft’s expanded way beyond just CloudHub now. They’ve got API Manager, Design Center, Exchange, and all these other Anypoint Platform pieces. When they talk about iPaaS, they mean this whole ecosystem, not just the deployment part. For docs, I’d be specific - say CloudHub when you’re talking about where apps get deployed and hosted, iPaaS when you mean the overall integration strategy or platform features. This matters more now since MuleSoft’s competing with other vendors who all call themselves iPaaS too.