97 services mapped across 12 categories. Find the equivalent service when moving between Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud.
| Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Machines | EC2 | Compute Engine |
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Key Differences
Core IaaS VMs. Azure uses VM Scale Sets for auto-scaling; AWS uses Auto Scaling Groups.
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| App Service | Elastic Beanstalk / App Runner | App Engine |
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Key Differences
PaaS web hosting. App Service is more opinionated than Beanstalk. App Runner is AWS's simpler alternative.
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| Azure Functions | Lambda | Cloud Functions |
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Key Differences
Serverless compute. Both support event-driven execution. Lambda has 15-min timeout; Functions can run longer on Premium plan.
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| Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) | EKS | GKE |
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Key Differences
Managed Kubernetes. AKS control plane is free; EKS charges ~$0.10/hr. GKE Autopilot fully manages nodes.
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| Container Instances (ACI) | Fargate / ECS | Cloud Run |
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Key Differences
Serverless containers. ACI is per-container; Fargate runs on ECS/EKS. Cloud Run is simplest.
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| Azure Container Apps | App Runner / ECS Fargate | Cloud Run |
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Key Differences
Managed container platform with auto-scaling. Built on KEDA under the hood.
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| Azure Batch | AWS Batch | Batch |
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Key Differences
Large-scale HPC and batch job orchestration.
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| VM Scale Sets | Auto Scaling Groups | Managed Instance Groups |
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Key Differences
Automatic VM scaling based on demand or schedules.
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| Azure Spot VMs | Spot Instances | Spot VMs |
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Key Differences
Discounted spare capacity VMs. Can be evicted. Up to 90% savings.
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| Dedicated Host | Dedicated Hosts | Sole-Tenant Nodes |
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Key Differences
Physical server isolation for compliance or licensing.
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| Azure VMware Solution | VMware Cloud on AWS | VMware Engine |
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Key Differences
Run VMware vSphere natively in the cloud.
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| Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Blob Storage | S3 | Cloud Storage |
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Key Differences
Object storage. Both offer hot/cool/archive tiers. S3 has more granular storage classes.
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| Azure Files | EFS / FSx | Filestore |
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Key Differences
Managed file shares. Azure Files supports SMB + NFS. EFS is NFS-only; FSx covers Windows, Lustre, NetApp, OpenZFS.
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| Data Lake Storage Gen2 | S3 + Lake Formation | Cloud Storage + BigLake |
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Key Differences
Analytics-optimized storage. ADLS Gen2 is Blob Storage with hierarchical namespace.
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| Managed Disks | EBS | Persistent Disks |
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Key Differences
Block storage for VMs. SSD, HDD, and ultra-high performance tiers.
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| Azure NetApp Files | FSx for NetApp ONTAP | NetApp Cloud Volumes |
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Key Differences
Enterprise NetApp NAS. Sub-millisecond latency.
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| Queue Storage | SQS | Cloud Tasks / Pub/Sub |
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Key Differences
Message queuing. Azure also has Service Bus for advanced scenarios.
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| Archive Storage | S3 Glacier Deep Archive | Archive Storage |
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Key Differences
Lowest-cost cold storage. Retrieval takes hours.
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| Azure HPC Cache | FSx for Lustre | - |
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Key Differences
High-performance caching for compute-intensive workloads.
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| Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Network (VNet) | VPC | VPC |
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Key Differences
Isolated cloud network. Azure VNets are regional; AWS VPCs span AZs.
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| Load Balancer | NLB | Network Load Balancer |
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Key Differences
Layer 4 load balancing.
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| Application Gateway | ALB | HTTP(S) Load Balancer |
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Key Differences
Layer 7 load balancing with WAF.
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| Azure Front Door | CloudFront + Global Accelerator | Cloud CDN + Global LB |
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Key Differences
Global LB + CDN + WAF. Front Door combines what AWS splits.
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| Azure CDN | CloudFront | Cloud CDN |
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Key Differences
Content delivery network.
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| Azure DNS | Route 53 | Cloud DNS |
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Key Differences
Managed DNS. Route 53 includes domain registration; Azure DNS is DNS-only.
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| Traffic Manager | Route 53 (DNS routing) | Cloud DNS (routing) |
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Key Differences
DNS-based traffic routing with failover, geo, performance policies.
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| VPN Gateway | VPN Gateway | Cloud VPN |
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Key Differences
Site-to-site and point-to-site VPN.
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| ExpressRoute | Direct Connect | Cloud Interconnect |
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Key Differences
Private dedicated connection. Bypasses public internet.
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| Azure Firewall | Network Firewall | Cloud Firewall |
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Key Differences
Managed cloud-native firewall with FQDN filtering and threat intel.
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| NSG | Security Groups + NACLs | Firewall Rules |
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Key Differences
Packet filtering. NSGs and AWS SGs are stateful; NACLs are stateless.
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| Azure Bastion | SSM Session Manager | IAP TCP Forwarding |
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Key Differences
Secure RDP/SSH without public IP.
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| Private Link | PrivateLink | Private Service Connect |
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Key Differences
Access PaaS over private endpoint in your VNet.
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| Virtual WAN | Transit Gateway | Network Connectivity Center |
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Key Differences
Hub-and-spoke WAN connecting VNets, branches, remote users.
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| DDoS Protection | Shield | Cloud Armor |
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Key Differences
DDoS mitigation. Basic tier free on both Azure and AWS.
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| WAF | WAF | Cloud Armor |
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Key Differences
Layer 7 web application firewall.
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| Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Azure SQL Database | RDS for SQL Server | Cloud SQL for SQL Server |
|
Key Differences
Managed SQL Server. Azure SQL is deeply integrated; RDS is more generic.
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| SQL Managed Instance | RDS Custom for SQL Server | - |
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Key Differences
Near-100% SQL Server compat. Supports SQL Agent, cross-DB queries, CLR.
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| Database for PostgreSQL | RDS / Aurora PostgreSQL | Cloud SQL / AlloyDB |
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Key Differences
Managed PostgreSQL. Aurora and AlloyDB offer higher performance.
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| Database for MySQL | RDS / Aurora MySQL | Cloud SQL for MySQL |
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Key Differences
Managed MySQL. Aurora MySQL is significantly faster than standard RDS.
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| Cosmos DB | DynamoDB | Firestore / Bigtable |
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Key Differences
Multi-model global DB. Cosmos supports SQL, MongoDB, Cassandra, Gremlin APIs.
|
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| Cache for Redis | ElastiCache for Redis | Memorystore for Redis |
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Key Differences
Managed Redis. Nearly identical across all three.
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| Synapse Analytics | Redshift | BigQuery |
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Key Differences
Data warehouse. Synapse integrates Spark + SQL + pipelines. BigQuery is serverless.
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| Cosmos DB (MongoDB API) | DocumentDB | MongoDB Atlas (marketplace) |
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Key Differences
MongoDB-compatible managed database.
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| Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Entra ID | IAM + Identity Center | Cloud Identity |
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Key Differences
Core identity. Entra ID is a full IdP with SSO, MFA, B2B/B2C. AWS IAM is access-only.
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| Entra ID B2C | Cognito | Identity Platform |
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Key Differences
Customer-facing identity (CIAM). Registration, login, profile management.
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| Entra ID B2B | IAM cross-account roles | Cloud Identity (external) |
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Key Differences
External/guest user collaboration.
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| Azure RBAC | IAM Policies | IAM Roles |
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Key Differences
Role-based access. Azure RBAC is separate from Entra roles. AWS uses JSON policies.
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| Managed Identities | IAM Roles for Services | Service Accounts |
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Key Differences
Credential-free auth for cloud resources. Eliminates stored secrets.
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| Privileged Identity Management | - (STS temporary creds) | - |
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Key Differences
JIT privileged access with approval workflows. No direct AWS/GCP equivalent.
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| Key Vault | Secrets Manager + KMS | Secret Manager + Cloud KMS |
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Key Differences
Secret/key/cert management. Key Vault combines what AWS splits into two services.
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| Conditional Access | IAM Conditions + SCPs | BeyondCorp / Context-Aware Access |
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Key Differences
Policy-based access control: user, device, location, risk signals.
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| Entra Connect | AD Connector | Google Cloud Directory Sync |
|
Key Differences
Sync on-premises AD to cloud identity.
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| Entra ID Domain Services | AWS Managed Microsoft AD | Managed Service for Microsoft AD |
|
Key Differences
Managed AD DS in the cloud without deploying DCs.
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| Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Defender for Cloud | Security Hub + GuardDuty | Security Command Center |
|
Key Differences
CSPM. Defender combines what AWS splits across Security Hub, Inspector, GuardDuty.
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| Microsoft Sentinel | Security Lake + OpenSearch | Chronicle SIEM |
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Key Differences
Cloud-native SIEM. Sentinel built on Log Analytics. AWS has no first-party SIEM of equal scope.
|
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| Azure Policy | Config Rules + SCPs | Organization Policies |
|
Key Differences
Governance and compliance enforcement with remediation.
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| Microsoft Purview (Governance) | DataZone / Glue Catalog | Dataplex / Data Catalog |
|
Key Differences
Data governance, cataloging, and lineage.
|
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| Microsoft Purview (Compliance) | Macie + Config | DLP API + SCC |
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Key Differences
Data classification, DLP, retention, eDiscovery. No single AWS equivalent.
|
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| Information Protection (AIP) | Macie | DLP API |
|
Key Differences
Data classification and labeling. AIP integrates with Office; Macie is S3-focused.
|
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| Defender for Endpoint | - (use third-party EDR) | - |
|
Key Differences
Endpoint detection and response. No native AWS/GCP equivalent.
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| Confidential Computing | Nitro Enclaves | Confidential VMs |
|
Key Differences
Hardware-based trusted execution for data-in-use encryption.
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| Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Azure DevOps | CodeCommit + CodePipeline + CodeBuild | Cloud Source Repos + Cloud Build |
|
Key Differences
Azure DevOps is all-in-one. AWS/GCP split across services. Most teams use GitHub.
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| GitHub Actions | CodePipeline + CodeBuild | Cloud Build |
|
Key Differences
Microsoft owns GitHub. Actions is the default CI/CD across all clouds.
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| Container Registry (ACR) | ECR | Artifact Registry |
|
Key Differences
Private container image registry.
|
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| Azure Artifacts | CodeArtifact | Artifact Registry |
|
Key Differences
Package management (NuGet, npm, Maven, pip).
|
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| ARM / Bicep | CloudFormation | Deployment Manager |
|
Key Differences
Infrastructure as Code. Many teams use Terraform across all three.
|
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| Azure Monitor | CloudWatch | Cloud Monitoring |
|
Key Differences
Metrics, logs, and alerting.
|
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| Application Insights | X-Ray | Cloud Trace |
|
Key Differences
Application performance monitoring (APM).
|
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| Log Analytics | CloudWatch Logs + Athena | Cloud Logging |
|
Key Differences
Centralized log querying. Log Analytics uses KQL.
|
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| Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Azure OpenAI Service | Bedrock | Vertex AI (Gemini) |
|
Key Differences
Managed LLM APIs. Azure has exclusive OpenAI; Bedrock is multi-model; Vertex hosts Gemini.
|
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| Azure Machine Learning | SageMaker | Vertex AI |
|
Key Differences
End-to-end ML platform: training, deploying, managing models.
|
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| Cognitive Services | Rekognition / Textract / Comprehend / Polly | Vision AI / Natural Language / Speech |
|
Key Differences
Pre-built AI APIs. Azure bundles; AWS splits into individual services.
|
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| Azure AI Search | OpenSearch / Kendra | Vertex AI Search |
|
Key Differences
AI-powered search with semantic ranking and vector search.
|
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| Azure Bot Service | Lex | Dialogflow |
|
Key Differences
Conversational AI / chatbot framework.
|
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| AI Document Intelligence | Textract | Document AI |
|
Key Differences
Document parsing, OCR, and form extraction.
|
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| Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Service Bus | SQS + SNS | Pub/Sub |
|
Key Differences
Enterprise message broker. Service Bus supports sessions, transactions, dead-lettering.
|
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| Event Grid | EventBridge | Eventarc |
|
Key Differences
Event routing for serverless event-driven architectures.
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| Event Hubs | Kinesis Data Streams | Pub/Sub |
|
Key Differences
Big data streaming. Event Hubs is Kafka-compatible.
|
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| Logic Apps | Step Functions | Workflows |
|
Key Differences
Low-code workflow automation. Logic Apps has 400+ connectors.
|
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| API Management | API Gateway | Apigee |
|
Key Differences
API gateway with rate limiting, caching, policies.
|
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| SignalR Service | AppSync (WebSocket) | - |
|
Key Differences
Managed real-time WebSocket messaging.
|
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| Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Migrate | Migration Hub | Migrate for Compute Engine |
|
Key Differences
Server discovery and migration assessment.
|
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| Site Recovery (ASR) | Elastic Disaster Recovery | - |
|
Key Differences
Disaster recovery and VM replication.
|
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| Azure Arc | Outposts / ECS Anywhere | Anthos |
|
Key Differences
Manage on-prem and multi-cloud from Azure portal.
|
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| Azure Stack HCI | Outposts | Distributed Cloud |
|
Key Differences
Run cloud services on your own on-prem hardware.
|
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| Database Migration Service | DMS | DMS |
|
Key Differences
Managed database migration. Same name on all three.
|
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| Data Box | Snowball / Snowcone | Transfer Appliance |
|
Key Differences
Physical data transfer devices for large migrations.
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| Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Synapse Analytics | Redshift + Glue + Athena | BigQuery |
|
Key Differences
Unified analytics. Synapse = warehouse + Spark + pipelines. BigQuery is serverless.
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| Data Factory | Glue ETL | Dataflow / Dataproc |
|
Key Differences
Managed ETL/ELT pipeline orchestration.
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| Azure Databricks | Databricks on AWS | Databricks on GCP |
|
Key Differences
Available on all three. Azure has deepest native integration.
|
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| Stream Analytics | Kinesis Data Analytics | Dataflow |
|
Key Differences
Real-time stream processing with SQL-like syntax.
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| Power BI | QuickSight | Looker |
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Key Differences
BI and dashboarding. Power BI is market leader; Looker is strong in data modeling.
|
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| HDInsight | EMR | Dataproc |
|
Key Differences
Managed Hadoop/Spark. Azure pushing toward Databricks instead.
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| Azure | AWS | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| IoT Hub | IoT Core | - (deprecated Cloud IoT Core) |
|
Key Differences
Device connectivity and management. Google deprecated Cloud IoT Core in 2023.
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| IoT Central | IoT SiteWise + TwinMaker | - |
|
Key Differences
Low-code IoT application platform.
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| Digital Twins | IoT TwinMaker | - |
|
Key Differences
Digital twin modeling.
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| IoT Edge | Greengrass | - |
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Key Differences
Run cloud intelligence on edge/IoT devices.
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