Difference between AWS, Azure, and GCP | Detailed Overview

05 Feb | Qaiser Shakoor | Cloud Computing

The three highest and most well-known cloud computing platforms are AWS, Azure, and GCP. These three providers have different benefits and drawbacks. These differences can significantly impact your cloud costs, usability, and overall experience.

Difference between AWS, Azure, and GCP:

Amazon offers cloud infrastructure through its subsidiary Amazon Web Services. Today, AWS is the world's largest cloud service provider. It provides public and private cloud networks and can isolate networks inside a virtual private cloud. Moreover, route tables, network ports, private IP addresses, and subnets can all be created using Amazon.

It was in 2010 that Microsoft Corporation first introduced Microsoft Azure. On a worldwide scale, it is the second-biggest cloud provider. Like AWS, Azure has an extensive service portfolio. Google launched the GCP in 2011. It is a fantastic choice for companies that depend on enormous data processing and machine learning. It provides serverless platforms, PaaS, and IaaS. Businesses wishing to set up container-based apps find Google's proficiency with Kubernetes and containerization appealing.

AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP: A Detailed Overview

Virtual machines and serverless computing alternatives are among the computing resources offered by AWS, Azure, and GCP that are comparable. However, distinct features and services that apply to various use cases are provided by every cloud provider. Because of this, companies can select the platform that best suits their unique computing needs.

Pricing Comparison:

Selecting a cloud provider involves weighing various factors, with pricing being a key consideration. For companies looking for the best fit for their unique requirements and financial constraints, comparing the price structures of the leading cloud providers is essential. Each platform follows a pay-as-you-go approach. It's essential to consider how the price will change as your application or business expands, in addition to comparing your cloud provider's cost with your present consumption. Here is a comparison of these cloud providers' prices as of August 2023.

AWS:

AWS provides a flexible and cost-controlling pay-as-you-go paradigm.
It varies in price according to performance and capacity and offers a range of instance kinds.
Data transferred (egress) fees vary depending on volume and region, but often range from $0.05 to $0.09 per GB across different network connections and pricing plans. Data received (Ingress), on the other hand, is frequently free.
The storage price for services, like Amazon S3 and Amazon EBS, is determined by capacity and usage trends.
AWS Savings Plans and Reserved Instances offer discounts for upfront payments.

Microsoft Azure:

It offers Reserved VM Instances for a discounted price and uses a pay-as-you-go basis.
It usually provides free ingress and egress fees determined by the region and volume of data.
Instance families with varying workload optimizations.
Azure Blob Storage and Azure Disk Storage provide capacity and usage-based storage fees.
Customers with active licenses can receive volume discounts through Azure Hybrid Benefit.

Google Cloud Platform:

It offers a Pay-as-you-go system with standard and customized machine kinds.
The amount of data delivered and received determines the cost of data transfer.
With Google Persistent Disk and Google Cloud Storage, storage expenses are determined by capacity and frequency of access.
There are three diverse support tiers with different response times and amounts of help coverage: Basic, Development, and Production.
Committed Use Contracts offer discounts in exchange for one or three years of upfront commitments.

Product Offerings:

AWS:

Amazon EC2, which offers a virtual private cloud for multiple use cases, is one of the computing resources offered by AWS.
EC2 offers different instance kinds. Every kind is tailored to suit varying workloads, including GPU-powered, memory-intensive, and general-purpose instances.
Moreover, AWS provides serverless computing through AWS Lambda. It allows programmers to execute code without needing server provisioning or management.

Microsoft Azure:

Azure's Virtual Machines (VMs) solution, which delivers scalable and adaptable virtualized computing surroundings, provides comparable computational power.
Memory, compute, and storage-optimized instances are among the several instance sizes Azure Virtual Machines can provide, depending on the demands of various workloads.
For serverless computing, Azure also offers Azure processes, which let developers run event-driven processes without worrying about the supporting infrastructure.

Google Cloud Platform:

GCP provides Google Cloud Functions, a serverless computing solution that lets developers run event-driven functions without worrying about managing servers.
Google Compute Engine provides VM instances that can be customized, and GCP's processing resources are accessible through it.
It offers standard and customized machine types. Users can now accurately customize resources to fit their needs.

Data Centers:

Each of AWS, Azure, and GCP has unique data center setups. Companies and developers must be aware of the locations and capacities of these data centers. This knowledge helps select the right cloud solution, especially considering that data center requirements depend on where users access an application or website.

AWS:

AWS runs a massive worldwide network with almost 200 data centers scattered across various regions.
Among the big three hyperscaler cloud providers, AWS offers the most extensive collection of data centers.
AWS has a strong presence in key regions, such as Northern Virginia, Oregon, and Frankfurt.
This expansive infrastructure from AWS allows businesses to place their resources closer to users, cutting down on delays and boosting overall performance.

Microsoft Azure:

Because of its extensive network of data centers, Azure Cloud provides services in more areas than AWS and GCP.
Its footprint in Europe, Asia, and Australia is significant and its data center network is always expanding.
Azure's data centers are connected to Microsoft's extensive network backbone, ensuring quick data transfer and minimal delay.

Google Cloud Platform:

Its data centers are dispersed strategically throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
GCP has fewer data centers than AWS and Azure. However, their high-performance global network architecture is well-known.
Due to Google's proficiency in network optimization, GCP is the recommended option for applications that require low latency and quick data transfer.

Comparing AWS, Azure, and GCP, it's essential to note that AWS has the most data centers, Azure covers many regions, and GCP prioritizes fast networking. Businesses picking a cloud provider should consider where data centers are located. This ensures top-notch performance and easy data access for their audience.

AWS, Azure, and GCP: Advantages and Disadvantages

Microsoft Azure:

Advantages:

The migration and integration of existing Microsoft services is straightforward.
Azure provides many solutions, like top-notch analytics, AI, and machine learning services.
There is a lot of assistance for hybrid cloud solutions.
Most of its services are less costly than those of AWS and GCP.

Disadvantages:

It offers fewer options for services than AWS.
It is specially created with business clients in mind.

Amazon Web Services:

Advantages:

It's the most developed.
It offers various services, from robots to networking.
It is regarded as the best in terms of safety and reliability.
It has greater computational capacity compared to GCP and Azure.

Disadvantages:

Payment is required from all significant software providers who offer their products on AWS Dev/Enterprise service.
The wide variety of services and alternatives can be confusing for first-time users.
Alternatives to hybrid clouds are slightly scarce.

Google Cloud Platform:

Advantages:

GCP functions well with additional Google services and goods.
It provides outstanding support for containerized workloads.

Disadvantages:

Services are limited compared to AWS and Azure; enterprise use cases are entirely supported.

AWS vs. Azure vs. GCP: Which Platform is Better?

AWS is known for its worldwide reach and scalability. Azure is well-known for its remarkable compatibility and security, and GCP for its superior machine learning and data management. Every service provider has diverse needs, and every business has different demands. Awareness of specific needs, like performance and cost, is essential to choosing the best service provider. Gaining insight into how AWS, Azure, and GCP align with your company's overall cloud strategy objectives could be advantageous.

FAQs:

1. What aspects should companies consider when selecting AWS, Azure, and GCP?

Businesses should consider performance, cost, and alignment with overall cloud strategy objectives while choosing between these options.

2. What advantages does Microsoft Azure offer for businesses?

Azure facilitates straightforward migration and integration of existing Microsoft services. It provides affordable analytics, AI, machine learning, and robust support for hybrid cloud strategies.

3. How do pricing structures vary among AWS, Azure, and GCP?

Each follows a pay-as-you-go approach, but specific pricing details differ based on performance, capacity, and storage usage.

Tags: #AWS