In this blog post, we’ll compare some of the leading cloud service providers—AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI, IBM Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud—across various key criteria to help you make informed decisions for your cloud projects.
| Criteria | AWS | Azure | GCP | OCI | IBM Cloud | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Amazon | Microsoft | Oracle | IBM | Alibaba Group | |
| Launch Year | 2006 | 2010 | 2008 | 2016 | 2011 | 2009 |
| Global Data Centers | 82 Regions, 25 Zones | 60+ Regions, 160+ Zones | 26 Regions, 73+ Zones | 29 Regions, 54+ Zones | 6 Regions, 20+ Zones | 70+ Availability Zones |
| Compute Services | EC2, Lambda, EKS | Virtual Machines, App Services | Compute Engine | Compute, Functions | Virtual Servers, Cloud Foundry | Elastic Compute Service |
| Storage Services | S3, EBS, EFS | Blob Storage, Azure Files | Cloud Storage | Object Storage, Block Volumes | Object Storage, Block Storage | Object Storage, Block Storage |
| Container Services | EKS, ECS, Fargate | AKS, ACI, ARO | GKE | OKE, Container Engine | Kubernetes, OpenShift | Container Service |
| Databases | RDS, DynamoDB | Azure SQL, Cosmos DB | Cloud SQL, Bigtable | Autonomous Database | Db2, Db2 on Cloud | ApsaraDB RDS |
| Networking | VPC, Direct Connect | VNET, ExpressRoute | VPC, Interconnect | VCN, FastConnect | VPC, Direct Link | VPC, Express Connect |
| AI and ML Services | SageMaker, Rekognition | Azure ML, Cognitive Services | AI Platform | AI, ML Services | Watson, Watson Studio | AI and ML Services |
| PaaS | Elastic Beanstalk | Azure App Service | App Engine | Oracle Cloud App Service | IBM Cloud Foundry | App Platform |
| Serverless | AWS Lambda | Azure Functions | Cloud Functions | Functions | IBM Cloud Functions | Function Compute |
| Pricing Model | Pay-as-you-go, Reserved Instances | Pay-as-you-go, Reserved Instances | Pay-as-you-go | Pay-as-you-go, Universal Credits | Pay-as-you-go, Reserved Instances | Pay-as-you-go |
| Market Share (2022) | 32% | 20% | 9% | 2% | 6% | 5% |
**Note:**
– The table provides a high-level comparison of selected services. Each cloud provider offers a wide range of additional services and features.
– Prices, features, and capabilities may change over time, so it’s essential to check the respective cloud providers’ websites for the latest information.
– The choice of cloud provider depends on your specific requirements and should consider factors such as pricing, region availability, compliance, and service-level agreements.
Please note that market share percentages are approximate and may change over time.
Conclusion:
Choosing the right cloud service provider depends on your specific project requirements, budget, and familiarity with a provider’s services. Each of these major cloud platforms has its strengths and unique offerings, making them suitable for different use cases.