Cross-cloud service comparison matrix
A quick-reference guide mapping generic cloud technology paradigms across Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Alibaba Cloud
When drafting documentation for multi-cloud environments, site reliability engineering (SRE) runbooks, or cross-platform migrations, technical writers must frequently translate platform-specific product names into generic concepts or competitor equivalents.
Use this reference guide to quickly map generic cloud paradigms across Microsoft Azure, AWS, GCP, and Alibaba Cloud.
Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a cloud computing model providing on-demand access to virtualized servers, storage, and networking over the internet.
Compute services
Compute services provide the processing power, virtual machines, and container options needed to run cloud workloads.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual machines (VMs) | Azure Virtual Machines | Amazon EC2 | Compute Engine | Elastic Compute Service (ECS) |
| Container services | Azure Container Instances, Azure Kubernetes Service | Amazon ECS, Amazon EKS, AWS Fargate | Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Cloud Run | Container Service for Kubernetes (ACK), Elastic Container Instance |
| Bare-metal servers | Azure Stack HCI, Azure Dedicated Host, Azure Bare Metal Instances | Amazon EC2 Dedicated Hosts, Amazon EC2 Bare Metal Instances | Bare Metal Solution, Sole-Tenant Nodes | ECS Bare Metal Instance |
| Graphics processing unit (GPU) instances | Azure Virtual Machines (NC, ND, NV series) | Amazon EC2 GPU Instances | Compute Engine GPUs | Elastic GPU Service (EGS) |
| Auto scaling | Virtual Machine Scale Sets | AWS Auto Scaling, Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling | Managed Instance Groups (MIG) autoscaling | Auto Scaling |
| Serverless computing | Azure Functions | AWS Lambda | Cloud Functions, Cloud Run | Function Compute |
Storage services
Storage services offer scalable options for block, object, and file storage, as well as data lakes for analytics.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block storage | Azure Disk Storage, Azure Files, Azure Managed Disks | Amazon EBS | Persistent Disk | Elastic Block Storage (EBS) |
| Object storage | Azure Blob Storage | Amazon S3 | Cloud Storage | Object Storage Service (OSS) |
| File storage | Azure File Storage, Azure NetApp Files | Amazon EFS, Amazon FSx | Filestore | Network Attached Storage (NAS) |
| Archive storage | Azure Archive Storage | Amazon S3 Glacier | Cloud Storage (Archive storage class) | Archive Storage |
| Data lakes | Azure Data Lake | AWS Lake Formation, Amazon S3 | Dataplex, Cloud Storage | Alibaba Data Lake |
Networking services
Networking services connect your cloud resources securely through virtual networks, load balancers, and content delivery networks (CDNs).
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual networks: Virtual local area networks (VLANs), virtual private networks (VPNs) | Azure Virtual Network (VNet) | Amazon VPC, AWS Client VPN | Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Cloud VPN | Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) |
| Virtual private cloud | Virtual Network (VNet) | Amazon VPC | Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) | Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) |
| Load balancing | Azure Load Balancer, Application Gateway/Network Load Balancer | Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) | Cloud Load Balancing | Server Load Balancer (SLB) |
| Content delivery networks | Azure Content Delivery Network | Amazon CloudFront | Cloud Content Delivery Network | Alibaba Cloud Content Delivery Network |
| Direct connect | ExpressRoute | AWS Direct Connect | Cloud Interconnect | Express Connect |
Platform as a service (PaaS)
Platform as a service (PaaS) provides a cloud-based environment for developers to build, manage, and deliver applications.
Development and deployment
Development and deployment tools help developers create, test, build, and deploy applications across various cloud platforms.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integrated development environments (IDEs) | Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio for Mac | AWS Cloud9 | Cloud Workstations, Cloud Shell Editor | - |
| Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines | Azure DevOps, Azure Pipelines | AWS CodePipeline, AWS CodeBuild, AWS CodeDeploy | Cloud Build, Cloud Deploy | - |
| Application servers | Tomcat, Internet Information Services (IIS), Azure App Service | AWS Elastic Beanstalk | App Engine | - |
| Container instances | Azure Container Instances | AWS Fargate | Cloud Run | Elastic Container Instance |
| Kubernetes service | Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) | Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) | Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) | Container Service for Kubernetes (ACK) |
Data services
Data services provide scalable, managed storage and database options, including relational, NoSQL, and in-memory databases.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relational databases | Azure SQL Database, Azure PostgreSQL | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS), Amazon Aurora | Cloud SQL, Cloud Spanner | ApsaraDB for RDS |
| NoSQL databases | Azure Cosmos DB | Amazon DynamoDB | Firestore, Cloud Bigtable | Table Store |
| In-memory databases | Azure Redis | Amazon ElastiCache | Memorystore (for Redis/Memcached) | ApsaraDB for Redis |
| MongoDB application programming interface (API) | Azure Cosmos DB (MongoDB API) | Amazon DocumentDB | MongoDB Atlas on Google Cloud (partner) | ApsaraDB for MongoDB |
| Data warehousing | Azure Synapse Analytics, Power BI | Amazon Redshift | BigQuery | MaxCompute |
| Data processing services | Azure Synapse Analytics | Amazon Elastic MapReduce (EMR), AWS Glue | Dataflow, Dataproc | MaxCompute |
Software as a service
Software as a service (SaaS) is a cloud-based software delivery model where applications are hosted by a provider and accessed over the internet.
Productivity and collaboration
Productivity and collaboration tools enable teams to create, share, and work together on documents, emails, calendars, and projects.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office suites | Microsoft 365 | - | Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides) | - |
| Email and calendar services | Exchange Online, Outlook.com | Amazon WorkMail | Gmail, Google Calendar | - |
| Project management tools | Microsoft Planner, Microsoft Project | - | Google Keep, Google Tasks | - |
Customer relationship management
Customer relationship management refers to technologies and practices that businesses use to manage customer data and interactions throughout the customer lifecycle.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales force automation | Dynamics 365 Sales | - | - | - |
| Marketing automation | Dynamics 365 Marketing | Amazon Pinpoint | - | - |
| Customer service and support | Dynamics 365 Customer Service | Amazon Connect | - | - |
Human capital management
Human capital management refers to the set of practices and tools used by organizations to recruit, manage, develop, and optimize their workforce.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recruitment and hiring | Dynamics 365 Talent | - | - | - |
| Performance management | Dynamics 365 Performance Management | - | - | - |
| Time and attendance tracking | Dynamics 365 Human Resources | - | - | - |
Financial management
Financial management involves planning, organizing, directing, and controlling financial undertakings such as accounting, invoicing, and expense tracking.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and bookkeeping | Dynamics 365 Finance | - | - | - |
| Invoicing and billing | Dynamics 365 Sales | - | - | - |
| Expense tracking and reporting | Dynamics 365 Expense | - | - | - |
Marketing and advertising
Marketing and advertising solutions help businesses reach target audiences, promote products, manage campaigns, and analyze customer engagement.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email marketing | Dynamics 365 Marketing | Amazon Simple Email Service, Amazon Pinpoint | - | - |
| Social media management | Microsoft Social Engagement | - | - | - |
| Search engine optimization | Microsoft Advertising | - | Google Search Console | - |
Security and identity (SaaS-level)
Security and identity at the SaaS level includes cloud-based solutions for managing user access, detecting threat patterns, and protecting encryption keys.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity and access management (IAM) | Azure Active Directory | AWS IAM Identity Center, AWS IAM | Cloud Identity, Google Cloud IAM | Resource Access Management |
| Threat detection and response | Microsoft Threat Protection | Amazon GuardDuty, AWS Security Hub | Security Command Center | - |
| Encryption and key management | Azure Key Vault | AWS Key Management Service (KMS), AWS Secrets Manager | Cloud Key Management Service | Key Management Service |
| Key management services | Azure Key Vault | AWS KMS | Cloud Key Management Service | Key Management Service |
Security, identity, and compliance
Security, identity, and compliance solutions protect cloud resources, manage user access, and ensure adherence to industry standards.
Identity and access management (IAM)
Identity and access management (IAM) secures resources by authorizing users and devices.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single sign-on (SSO) | Microsoft Entra single sign-on (SSO) | AWS IAM Identity Center | Cloud Identity SSO | - |
| Multifactor authentication | Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication | AWS IAM multifactor authentication | Cloud Identity multifactor authentication / Google 2-Step Verification | - |
| Role-based access control (RBAC) | Azure RBAC, Microsoft Entra RBAC | AWS IAM Roles | Google Cloud IAM roles | - |
Security information and event management (SIEM)
Security information and event management (SIEM) aggregates and analyzes security data to detect, investigate, and respond to potential threats.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Log collection and analysis | Microsoft Sentinel | Amazon CloudWatch, Amazon OpenSearch Service | Cloud Logging, Google Security Operations (Chronicle SIEM) | - |
| Threat detection and response | Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), Microsoft 365 Threat Protection | Amazon GuardDuty, AWS Security Hub | Google Security Operations (Chronicle), Security Command Center | - |
| Compliance reporting | Microsoft Compliance Manager | AWS Artifact, AWS Audit Manager | Assured Workloads, Security Command Center | - |
Data loss prevention (DLP)
Data loss prevention (DLP) identifies, monitors, and protects sensitive data to prevent its unauthorized disclosure or deletion.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data encryption | Azure Information Protection, Microsoft 365 ATP | AWS Key Management Service (KMS) | Cloud KMS, default encryption | - |
| Data masking | Azure Information Protection, Microsoft 365 ATP | Amazon Macie, AWS Glue DataBrew | Sensitive Data Protection (formerly Cloud DLP) | - |
| Data redaction | Azure Information Protection, Microsoft 365 ATP | Amazon Macie, Amazon Comprehend | Sensitive Data Protection (formerly Cloud DLP) | - |
Compliance and governance
Compliance and governance solutions help organizations manage risk, meet regulatory requirements, and enforce organizational policies.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audit and compliance reporting | Microsoft Compliance Manager, Microsoft 365 ATP | AWS CloudTrail, AWS Audit Manager | Cloud Logging (audit logs), Assured Workloads | - |
| Policy management | Microsoft Intune, Microsoft 365 ATP | AWS Organizations, AWS Config | Organization Policy Service | - |
| Risk management | Microsoft Risk Management, Microsoft 365 ATP | AWS Audit Manager | Risk Manager, Security Command Center | - |
Analytics and AI
AI and data analytics services enable organizations to process massive datasets and uncover actionable insights.
Data analytics
Data analytics involves inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data to discover useful information.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business intelligence tools | Power BI | Amazon QuickSight | Looker | - |
| Data visualization | Power BI, Microsoft Power Apps | Amazon QuickSight | Looker, Looker Studio | - |
| Predictive analytics | Azure Machine Learning, Microsoft Power Apps | Amazon SageMaker, Amazon SageMaker Canvas | Vertex AI, BigQuery ML | - |
Machine learning and AI
Machine learning and AI systems use algorithms and statistical models to analyze and draw inferences from patterns in data.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural language processing | Azure Cognitive Services (Language), Microsoft Bot Framework | Amazon Comprehend, Amazon Lex | Cloud Natural Language API, Dialogflow | - |
| Computer vision | Azure Cognitive Services (Computer Vision), Microsoft Azure Media Services | Amazon Rekognition | Cloud Vision API, Vertex AI Vision | - |
| Predictive modeling | Azure Machine Learning, Microsoft Power Apps | Amazon SageMaker | Vertex AI, BigQuery ML | - |
| Machine learning | Azure Machine Learning | Amazon SageMaker | Vertex AI | Machine Learning Platform for AI |
Internet of Things and edge computing
The Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing bring data processing closer to the source of data generation.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Device management | Microsoft Intune, Azure IoT Hub | AWS IoT Device Management | - (Google Cloud IoT Core retired) | - |
| Data processing and analytics | Azure IoT Hub, Azure Stream Analytics | AWS IoT Analytics, Amazon Kinesis | Dataflow, Pub/Sub | - |
| Real-time processing | Azure IoT Edge, Azure Stream Analytics | AWS IoT Greengrass, Amazon Kinesis | Dataflow, Pub/Sub | - |
| IoT platforms | Azure IoT Hub | AWS IoT Core | - (Google Cloud IoT Core retired) | Alibaba IoT Platform |
Other cloud services
The following services provide specialized functionality, such as global content delivery, gaming, and robotics.
Content delivery network
A content delivery network is a distributed group of servers that delivers web content efficiently to users.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Static content delivery | Azure Content Delivery Network | Amazon CloudFront | Cloud CDN | Alibaba Cloud CDN |
| Dynamic content delivery | Azure Content Delivery Network with Azure Functions or Azure Logic Apps | Amazon CloudFront with Lambda@Edge | Cloud CDN | - |
| Video streaming | Azure Media Services, Azure Content Delivery Network with Azure Media Player | AWS Elemental Media Services, Amazon Interactive Video Service | Transcoder API, Live Stream API | - |
Cloud gaming
Cloud gaming uses remote servers to run games and stream the video directly to a user's device.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game streaming | xCloud | Amazon Luna | - | - |
| Cloud-based game development | Microsoft Azure PlayFab, Microsoft Visual Studio | Amazon GameLift | - | - |
Cloud telephony
Cloud telephony provides voice communication services over the internet without local hardware.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice over Internet Protocol | Microsoft Teams, Azure Communication Services | Amazon Chime, Amazon Chime SDK | Google Voice | - |
| Cloud-based contact centers | Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Azure Communication Services | Amazon Connect | Contact Center AI | - |
Cloud robotics
Cloud robotics integrates cloud computing with robotics to enhance data sharing, computation, and automation.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robot Operating System (ROS) | Microsoft Azure ROS, Microsoft Azure IoT Edge | AWS IoT Greengrass, AWS RoboMaker (retired) | - | - |
| Cloud-based robotics development | Microsoft Azure IoT Edge, Microsoft Visual Studio with Azure Robotics | AWS IoT Greengrass | - | - |
Blockchain
Blockchain is a decentralized ledger technology that securely records transactions across a network.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blockchain as a service | Azure Blockchain Service | Amazon Managed Blockchain | Blockchain Node Engine | Ant Blockchain |
Hybrid and multicloud
Hybrid and multicloud solutions combine multiple cloud environments to optimize performance and flexibility.
| Generic technology | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud Platform | Alibaba Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid cloud solutions | Azure Arc | AWS Outposts, AWS Local Zones | Google Distributed Cloud, Anthos | Hybrid cloud solution by Alibaba |