Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

AWS Lambda VS Azure Storage

Compare AWS Lambda VS Azure Storage and see what are their differences

AWS Lambda logo AWS Lambda

Automatic, event-driven compute service

Azure Storage logo Azure Storage

Reliable, economical cloud storage for data big and small in the Microsoft Azure cloud
  • AWS Lambda Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-29
  • Azure Storage Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-01

AWS Lambda features and specs

  • Scalability
    AWS Lambda automatically scales your application by running your code in response to each trigger. This means no manual intervention is required to handle varying levels of traffic.
  • Cost-effectiveness
    You only pay for the compute time you consume. Billing is metered in increments of 100 milliseconds and you are not charged when your code is not running.
  • Reduced Operations Overhead
    AWS Lambda abstracts the infrastructure management layer, so there is no need to manage or provision servers. This allows you to focus more on writing code for your applications.
  • Flexibility
    Supports multiple programming languages such as Python, Node.js, Ruby, Java, Go, and .NET, which allows you to use the language you are most comfortable with.
  • Integration with Other AWS Services
    Seamlessly integrates with many other AWS services such as S3, DynamoDB, RDS, SNS, and more, making it versatile and highly functional.
  • Automatic Scaling and Load Balancing
    Handles thousands of concurrent requests without managing the scaling yourself, making it suitable for applications requiring high availability and reliability.

Possible disadvantages of AWS Lambda

  • Cold Start Latency
    The first request to a Lambda function after it has been idle for a certain period can take longer to execute. This is referred to as a 'cold start' and can impact performance.
  • Resource Limits
    Lambda has defined limits, such as a maximum execution timeout of 15 minutes, memory allocation ranging from 128 MB to 10,240 MB, and temporary storage up to 512 MB.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Using AWS Lambda ties you into the AWS ecosystem, making it difficult to migrate to another cloud provider or an on-premises solution without significant modifications to your application.
  • Complexity of Debugging
    Debugging and monitoring distributed, serverless applications can be more complex compared to traditional applications due to the lack of direct access to the underlying infrastructure.
  • Cold Start Issues with VPC
    When Lambda functions are configured to access resources within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), the cold start latency can be exacerbated due to additional VPC networking overhead.
  • Limited Execution Control
    AWS Lambda is designed for stateless, short-running tasks and may not be suitable for long-running processes or tasks requiring complex orchestration.

Azure Storage features and specs

  • Scalability
    Azure Storage offers virtually unlimited scalability to store and manage large amounts of data, making it suitable for applications with growing data needs.
  • Accessibility
    Data stored in Azure Storage can be accessed from anywhere in the world via HTTP or HTTPS, providing flexibility for global teams and applications.
  • Durability
    Azure offers multiple copies of data both within the same region and across different regions, ensuring high durability and data protection against physical failures.
  • Security
    Azure Storage provides strong security features, including encryption at rest and in transit, identity-based access control, and integration with Azure Active Directory.
  • Cost-effectiveness
    Azure Storage provides a pay-as-you-go model, reducing costs for organizations since they only pay for the storage resources that they actually use.
  • Integration with other Azure Services
    Seamless integration with a wide array of other Azure services like Azure Functions, Azure Kubernetes Service, and Azure Machine Learning.

Possible disadvantages of Azure Storage

  • Complexity
    The range of options and configurations for Azure Storage can be overwhelming for new users, requiring a learning curve to effectively utilize its features.
  • Network Dependency
    Since Azure Storage is cloud-based, its performance can be heavily reliant on network connectivity and bandwidth.
  • Cost Management
    While Azure Storage is cost-effective for scalable usage, costs can quickly rise with increasing data amounts and egress, necessitating careful management and monitoring.
  • Latency
    Although Azure provides a global infrastructure, latency may still be an issue for certain applications requiring real-time data processing, especially if the data is not stored in regions close to users.
  • Service Availability
    Occasional service outages or downtimes can occur, which may impact businesses reliant on Azure Storage for critical applications, though these are generally rare.

Analysis of AWS Lambda

Overall verdict

  • AWS Lambda is a strong choice for developers looking for scalable, event-driven applications with minimal management overhead. It is particularly beneficial for applications that experience intermittent traffic or unpredictable workloads.

Why this product is good

  • AWS Lambda is a popular serverless computing service because it allows users to run code without provisioning or managing servers. It automatically scales applications by running code in response to triggers such as HTTP requests, changes in data, or system events. This can significantly reduce operational overhead and costs, as you only pay for the compute time you consume.

Recommended for

  • Developers building microservices or serverless applications.
  • Companies looking to reduce infrastructure management.
  • Startups wanting to quickly deploy applications with limited operational costs.
  • Organizations needing to integrate with other AWS services for a comprehensive solution.
  • Projects with unpredictable or variable workloads that require automatic scaling.

AWS Lambda videos

AWS Lambda Vs EC2 | Serverless Vs EC2 | EC2 Alternatives

More videos:

  • Tutorial - AWS Lambda Tutorial | AWS Tutorial for Beginners | Intro to AWS Lambda | AWS Training | Edureka
  • Tutorial - AWS Lambda | What is AWS Lambda | AWS Lambda Tutorial for Beginners | Intellipaat

Azure Storage videos

Azure Storage Overview

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Azure Storage Tutorial | Introduction to Blob, Queue, Table & File Share
  • Review - Azure AZ-104 Exam Prep M3 Azure Storage Review Questions

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to AWS Lambda and Azure Storage)
Cloud Computing
96 96%
4% 4
Cloud Storage
0 0%
100% 100
Cloud Hosting
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare AWS Lambda and Azure Storage

AWS Lambda Reviews

Top 7 Firebase Alternatives for App Development in 2024
AWS Lambda is suitable for applications with varying workloads and those already using the AWS ecosystem.
Source: signoz.io

Azure Storage Reviews

We have no reviews of Azure Storage yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, AWS Lambda seems to be a lot more popular than Azure Storage. While we know about 277 links to AWS Lambda, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Azure Storage. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

AWS Lambda mentions (277)

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Azure Storage mentions (2)

  • The best hosting options for your static site (for 2023)
    Microsoft Azure Storage is another option for hosting a static website, with a range of pricing plans to suit different needs. It offers features like custom domains and SSL certificates, and it's highly scalable and reliable. Also Azure Storage can be more expensive than some other options, especially for high-traffic websites. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Need help planning photo storage
    I'd start here: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/storage/ and mainly look at either FILE (for ease of use, though probably not great if you want to host the share to your community), or BLOB - if you're semi-comfortable with cloud computing and might want to setup a static website or something hosting this content. The next big question is tier - if only a few people are ever going to look at this stuff... Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing AWS Lambda and Azure Storage, you can also consider the following products

Amazon S3 - Amazon S3 is an object storage where users can store data from their business on a safe, cloud-based platform. Amazon S3 operates in 54 availability zones within 18 graphic regions and 1 local region.

Amazon API Gateway - Create, publish, maintain, monitor, and secure APIs at any scale

Amazon EBS - Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) provides persistent block level storage volumes for use with Amazon EC2 instances in the AWS Cloud. Learn more here.

Google App Engine - A powerful platform to build web and mobile apps that scale automatically.

Minio - Minio is an open-source minimal cloud storage server.

Google Cloud Functions - A serverless platform for building event-based microservices.