Cloud Services Comparison

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Cloud Services Comparison

Compare AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure services

Services Compared

Service Category

Virtual Machines

Compute

AWS - EC2

AWS

Elastic Compute Cloud - scalable virtual servers

Pricing

$0.0116/hour (t3.micro)

Pros:

+Mature ecosystem
+Wide instance variety
+Spot instances
+Auto Scaling

Cons:

-Complex pricing
-Learning curve
-Can be expensive

GCP - Compute Engine

GCP

High-performance virtual machines

Pricing

$0.0104/hour (e2-micro)

Pros:

+Sustained use discounts
+Live migration
+Custom machine types
+Preemptible instances

Cons:

-Smaller ecosystem
-Limited regions
-Less documentation

Azure - Virtual Machines

Azure

On-demand scalable computing resources

Pricing

$0.0120/hour (B1s)

Pros:

+Hybrid cloud integration
+Windows licensing
+Enterprise features
+Reserved instances

Cons:

-Complex interface
-Performance inconsistencies
-Limited Linux support

Serverless Functions

Compute

AWS - Lambda

AWS

Event-driven serverless compute service

Pricing

$0.20 per 1M requests

Pros:

+Mature ecosystem
+Many triggers
+Good tooling
+Extensive integrations

Cons:

-Cold starts
-15-minute limit
-Vendor lock-in

GCP - Cloud Functions

GCP

Serverless execution environment

Pricing

$0.40 per 1M requests

Pros:

+Fast cold starts
+Good for microservices
+Integrated with GCP services

Cons:

-Limited runtime options
-Fewer triggers
-Less mature

Azure - Functions

Azure

Event-driven serverless compute

Pricing

$0.20 per 1M requests

Pros:

+Good .NET support
+Durable functions
+Hybrid connectivity

Cons:

-Performance issues
-Complex pricing
-Limited language support

Object Storage

Storage

AWS - S3

AWS

Simple Storage Service - object storage

Pricing

$0.023/GB/month

Pros:

+Industry standard
+Multiple storage classes
+Excellent durability
+Rich ecosystem

Cons:

-Complex pricing tiers
-Data transfer costs
-Learning curve

GCP - Cloud Storage

GCP

Unified object storage service

Pricing

$0.020/GB/month

Pros:

+Simple pricing
+Global edge caching
+Strong consistency
+Good performance

Cons:

-Fewer features than S3
-Limited ecosystem
-Less documentation

Azure - Blob Storage

Azure

Massively scalable object storage

Pricing

$0.0184/GB/month

Pros:

+Good Windows integration
+Hot/Cool/Archive tiers
+Strong security

Cons:

-Complex interface
-Performance variations
-Limited global presence

Relational Database

Database

AWS - RDS

AWS

Managed relational database service

Pricing

$0.017/hour (db.t3.micro)

Pros:

+Multiple engines
+Automated backups
+Read replicas
+Multi-AZ deployment

Cons:

-Expensive for large instances
-Limited customization
-Vendor lock-in

GCP - Cloud SQL

GCP

Fully managed relational databases

Pricing

$0.0150/hour (db-f1-micro)

Pros:

+Automatic scaling
+High availability
+Good performance
+Integrated monitoring

Cons:

-Limited engine options
-Fewer features
-Regional limitations

Azure - SQL Database

Azure

Managed SQL database service

Pricing

$0.0202/hour (Basic)

Pros:

+Excellent SQL Server integration
+Elastic pools
+Advanced security
+Hybrid scenarios

Cons:

-Expensive
-Complex pricing
-Performance tiers confusion

NoSQL Database

Database

AWS - DynamoDB

AWS

Fast NoSQL database service

Pricing

$0.25/GB/month

Pros:

+Single-digit millisecond latency
+Serverless
+Auto-scaling
+Global tables

Cons:

-Query limitations
-Expensive for large datasets
-Learning curve

GCP - Firestore

GCP

NoSQL document database

Pricing

$0.18/GB/month

Pros:

+Real-time updates
+Offline support
+Strong consistency
+Mobile SDKs

Cons:

-Limited querying
-Expensive operations
-Newer service

Azure - Cosmos DB

Azure

Globally distributed NoSQL database

Pricing

$0.25/GB/month

Pros:

+Multi-model support
+Global distribution
+Multiple consistency levels
+SLA guarantees

Cons:

-Very expensive
-Complex pricing
-Steep learning curve

Content Delivery Network

Networking

AWS - CloudFront

AWS

Global content delivery network

Pricing

$0.085/GB (first 10TB)

Pros:

+Global edge locations
+AWS integration
+Lambda@Edge
+Security features

Cons:

-Complex configuration
-Expensive for high traffic
-Cache invalidation costs

GCP - Cloud CDN

GCP

Global content delivery network

Pricing

$0.08/GB (first 10TB)

Pros:

+Simple setup
+Good performance
+Integrated with GCP
+HTTP/2 support

Cons:

-Fewer edge locations
-Limited features
-Less mature

Azure - CDN

Azure

Global content delivery network

Pricing

$0.087/GB (first 10TB)

Pros:

+Multiple providers
+Good Windows integration
+Custom domains
+Rules engine

Cons:

-Complex pricing
-Performance variations
-Limited global reach

Identity Management

Security

AWS - IAM

AWS

Identity and Access Management

Pricing

Free

Pros:

+Fine-grained permissions
+Role-based access
+MFA support
+Cross-account access

Cons:

-Complex policy language
-Steep learning curve
-Easy to misconfigure

GCP - Cloud IAM

GCP

Identity and Access Management

Pricing

Free

Pros:

+Simple role model
+Hierarchical organization
+Good integration
+Audit logging

Cons:

-Less granular than AWS
-Fewer features
-Limited third-party integration

Azure - Active Directory

Azure

Identity and access management service

Pricing

$1/user/month (Basic)

Pros:

+Enterprise integration
+Hybrid identity
+Conditional access
+B2B/B2C support

Cons:

-Complex licensing
-Expensive
-Windows-centric

Cloud Provider Summary

AWS

Market leader with the most comprehensive service portfolio. Best for enterprises needing mature, feature-rich solutions.

GCP

Strong in data analytics and machine learning. Best for startups and data-driven applications.

Azure

Excellent for Microsoft-centric organizations. Best for hybrid cloud and enterprise integration.

Related Resources

AWS Deep Dive

Comprehensive guide to Amazon Web Services

Google Cloud Platform

Learn about GCP services and capabilities

Microsoft Azure

Explore Azure services and enterprise features