Comparison of Equivalent Cloud Services Across AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure

I’m writing these articles for myself to remember what I have to use and to create a handy reference for comparing cloud services. This helps me decide which platform is best suited for various use cases and scenarios.

When choosing a cloud provider, understanding equivalent services across AWS, Google Cloud (GCP), and Azure helps in making informed decisions. Below is a comparison of commonly used cloud services categorized by functionality, showcasing how they align across the three platforms.

1. Database Services

AWS: Amazon RDS supports multiple engines like AuroraDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server.
Google Cloud: Cloud SQL offers fully managed relational databases for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server.
Azure: Azure SQL Database provides a fully managed relational database solution.

For advanced relational databases:

AWS: AuroraDB delivers high performance and compatibility with MySQL and PostgreSQL.
Google Cloud: Spanner provides global scalability with strong consistency.
Azure: SQL Managed Instance enhances SQL Server capabilities.

For NoSQL:

AWS: DynamoDB offers a key-value and document database.
Google Cloud: Firestore supports document-based storage.
Azure: Cosmos DB is a globally distributed, multi-model database.

Data Warehousing:

AWS: Redshift enables cloud-based data warehousing.
Google Cloud: BigQuery is serverless and scalable for SQL analytics.
Azure: Synapse Analytics combines data warehousing with big data integration.

2. Compute Services

AWS: EC2 provides scalable virtual machines.
Google Cloud: Compute Engine offers customizable virtual machines.
Azure: Virtual Machines deliver high configurability for workloads.

For serverless compute:

AWS: Lambda provides event-driven execution.
Google Cloud: Cloud Functions supports lightweight, event-driven processes.
Azure: Azure Functions executes code on-demand without managing servers.

For container services:

AWS: EKS and Fargate manage Kubernetes and serverless containers.
Google Cloud: GKE provides managed Kubernetes.
Azure: AKS simplifies Kubernetes management.

3. Storage Services

AWS: S3 offers scalable storage for unstructured data.
Google Cloud: Cloud Storage provides unified object storage.
Azure: Blob Storage delivers fully managed unstructured data storage.

For block storage:

AWS: EBS delivers low-latency block storage.
Google Cloud: Persistent Disk ensures durable block storage.
Azure: Disk Storage supports high-performance workloads.

For file storage:

AWS: EFS enables shared file access.
Google Cloud: Filestore supports managed file systems.
Azure: Azure Files provides fully managed file shares.

4. Data and Analytics Pipelines

AWS: Glue automates ETL processes.
Google Cloud: Dataflow integrates batch and stream processing.
Azure: Data Factory enables large-scale data transformation.

For stream processing:

AWS: Kinesis handles real-time streaming data.
Google Cloud: Pub/Sub ensures scalable messaging.
Azure: Event Hubs is a streaming data platform.

For big data:

AWS: EMR manages Hadoop and Spark clusters.
Google Cloud: Dataproc provides managed big data environments.
Azure: HDInsight supports big data analytics clusters.

5. AI and Machine Learning

AWS: SageMaker builds, trains, and deploys ML models.
Google Cloud: Vertex AI offers a unified platform for AI workflows.
Azure: Azure ML manages the lifecycle of machine learning models.

For pre-trained AI APIs:

AWS: Rekognition and Polly handle vision and speech.
Google Cloud: AI APIs include Vision, NLP, and Translation.
Azure: Cognitive Services provides APIs for vision, speech, and language.

6. Networking

AWS: VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) ensures secure and scalable networking.
Google Cloud: VPC offers global private networking.
Azure: VNet delivers virtualized networking environments.

For load balancing:

AWS: Elastic Load Balancer supports multiple layers of load balancing.
Google Cloud: Cloud Load Balancer provides global scalability.
Azure: Load Balancer manages internal and external traffic distribution.

For content delivery:

AWS: CloudFront accelerates content delivery.
Google Cloud: Cloud CDN ensures fast content delivery.
Azure: Azure CDN distributes content globally.

Summary

Each cloud provider offers comparable services but with unique features:

AWS: Known for its breadth of services and deep integrations.
Google Cloud: Excels in AI/ML and analytics.
Azure: Strong in enterprise tools and seamless integration with Microsoft products.

Choose the platform that best fits your organization’s ecosystem, workloads, and expertise.