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Azure Cosmos DB VS SimpleDB

Compare Azure Cosmos DB VS SimpleDB and see what are their differences

Azure Cosmos DB logo Azure Cosmos DB

NoSQL JSON database for rapid, iterative app development.

SimpleDB logo SimpleDB

Amazon SimpleDB is a simple database storage solution that allows developers to simply store & query data items via web services requests, saving time.
  • Azure Cosmos DB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-16
  • SimpleDB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-01

Azure Cosmos DB features and specs

  • Global Distribution
    Azure Cosmos DB allows for the distribution of data across multiple global regions, enhancing availability and delivering low-latency access to data for users around the world.
  • Multi-Model Support
    It supports multiple data models including document, graph, key-value, and column-family APIs, making it versatile for a variety of applications and use cases.
  • Automatic Scaling
    The database automatically scales up and down to meet the demands of application traffic, helping to manage workloads efficiently without manual intervention.
  • High Throughput and Low Latency
    Cosmos DB offers high performance with single-digit millisecond read and write latencies, ensuring fast access to data for applications.
  • Comprehensive SLAs
    Azure Cosmos DB provides industry-leading SLAs covering availability, throughput, consistency, and latency, offering strong guarantees for customers.
  • Integrated Security
    It includes robust security features such as SSL/TLS encryption, role-based access control, and integration with Azure Active Directory for secure data management.

Possible disadvantages of Azure Cosmos DB

  • Cost
    Azure Cosmos DB can be expensive, especially for high-throughput workloads and global distribution scenarios. Its pricing model based on provisioned throughput (RU/s) can add up quickly.
  • Complexity
    Managing and optimizing Cosmos DB can be complex, requiring a deep understanding of its configuration settings, partitioning strategies, and indexing to achieve optimal performance.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    As a proprietary service, using Cosmos DB tightly couples your application to Azure. This can make it difficult to migrate to other database solutions or cloud providers in the future.
  • Consistency Models
    Azure Cosmos DB supports multiple consistency levels which can introduce complexity in designing applications. Developers need to understand and choose the appropriate consistency level for their specific use case.
  • Limited Native Analytics
    Cosmos DB does not have built-in advanced analytics capabilities. Integrating with other services like Azure Synapse or Databricks may be necessary for sophisticated data analytics and reporting.

SimpleDB features and specs

  • Scalability
    SimpleDB automatically manages server infrastructure on behalf of users, allowing it to scale in response to application demand without manual intervention.
  • Ease of Use
    It is designed to be simple, with a straightforward API that makes it easy to get started without needing to manage the complexities of traditional database systems.
  • Flexible Data Model
    The schema-less nature of SimpleDB allows users to store structured data without predefining the data types, making it adaptable to changes in data format or structure.
  • Indexing and Querying
    SimpleDB provides automatic indexing of all attributes, which facilitates quick querying and retrieval of data without requiring users to manage indices.
  • Integration with AWS Services
    Seamless integration with other AWS services like S3 and EC2, allowing users to build comprehensive cloud solutions.

Possible disadvantages of SimpleDB

  • Limited Query Functionality
    SimpleDB's querying capabilities are more limited compared to relational databases; it does not support complex queries or joins.
  • Storage and Throughput Limitations
    There are limitations on storage size per domain and concurrent read/write throughput, which could be restrictive for large-scale applications.
  • Consistency Model
    SimpleDB trades off strong consistency for high availability, which means applications must be designed to handle eventual consistency.
  • Cost
    While SimpleDB can be cost-effective for small applications, costs can accumulate quickly with large-scale data operations due to its pricing model based on data usage.
  • Obsolescence
    With the advancement and growing use of more robust AWS databases like DynamoDB, SimpleDB has become less appealing and might not receive the same level of support or updates.

Analysis of Azure Cosmos DB

Overall verdict

  • Azure Cosmos DB is generally regarded as a robust and versatile database solution, particularly suited for applications that require flexibility, scale, and low-latency global access. It is a good option for developers looking to leverage Azure's cloud ecosystem.

Why this product is good

  • Azure Cosmos DB is a globally distributed, multi-model database service that offers turnkey global distribution, horizontal scaling, and a comprehensive SLA covering throughput, latency, availability, and consistency. It is designed to provide high availability and seamless integration with Azure services, making it a good fit for applications requiring low-latency and the ability to scale across multiple regions.

Recommended for

  • Organizations needing globally distributed applications
  • Developers working within the Azure ecosystem
  • Applications requiring multi-model database capabilities
  • Scenarios demanding high availability and low latency
  • Projects where seamless scalability is a priority

Azure Cosmos DB videos

Azure Cosmos DB: Comprehensive Overview

More videos:

  • Review - Azure Friday | Azure Cosmos DB with Scott Hanselman
  • Tutorial - Azure Cosmos DB Tutorial | Globally distributed NoSQL database

SimpleDB videos

No SimpleDB videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Azure Cosmos DB and SimpleDB)
Databases
85 85%
15% 15
NoSQL Databases
100 100%
0% 0
Project Management
0 0%
100% 100
Graph Databases
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Azure Cosmos DB should be more popular than SimpleDB. It has been mentiond 10 times since March 2021. 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.

Azure Cosmos DB mentions (10)

  • Belitsoft: Core Azure Building Blocks for Enterprise .NET Apps in 2025
    Cosmos DB supports multiple data models (document, key-value, graph, columnar) and APIs (SQL API for JSON, MongoDB API, Cassandra API, etc.). - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Blazor server app, deployment options
    If you are writing the code maybe consider learning Cosmos DB itโ€™s pretty easy to work with and there is a free tier. Also in my experience itโ€™s much faster than a SQL database. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Infrastructure as code (IaC) for Java-based apps on Azure
    Sometimes you donโ€™t need an entire Java-based microservice. You can build serverless APIs with the help of Azure Functions. For example, Azure functions have a bunch of built-in connectors like Azure Event Hubs to process event-driven Java code and send the data to Azure Cosmos DB in real-time. FedEx and UBS projects are great examples of real-time, event-driven Java. I also recommend you to go through ๐Ÿ‘‰ Code,... - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • Deploying a Mostly Serverless Website on GCP
    When debating the database solution for our application we were really seeking for a scalable serverless database that wouldnโ€™t bill us for idle time. Options like AWS Athena, AWS Aurora Serverless, and Azure Cosmos DB immediately came to mind. We believed that GCP would have a comparable service, yet we could not find one. Even after consulting the GCP cloud service comparison documentation we were still unable... - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • Which DB to use for API published on Azure?
    If you are looking for one to start with; you can try Cosmos: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/cosmos-db/. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

SimpleDB mentions (6)

  • Amazon is laying off another 9,000 employees across AWS, Twitch, advertising
    Amazing that this managed DB service is still running: https://aws.amazon.com/simpledb/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • What is the difference between Dynamo and DynamoDB?
    Over the years, Amazon also developed another NoSQL database called SimpleDB. Unlike the original Dynamo, SimpleDB is a managed service so it's easy for teams to adopt and operate. However, SimpleDB can't grow past 10 GB and its performance doesn't scale well (maxes out at around 25 writes per second). Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Amazon EC2-Classic Is Retiring
    You can actually still use SimpleDB: https://aws.amazon.com/simpledb/. - Source: Hacker News / about 4 years ago
  • AWS Quicksight: Authenticating users without SSO but simple DB
    Are you talking about SimpleDB (https://aws.amazon.com/simpledb/) ? If so, I had no idea anyone used this anymore. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Why Google Cloud is less trustworthy than AWS or Azure
    About deprecation: the gold standard is what AWS is doing with SimpleDB: essentially, never. The thing here is that if you run hundreds of services in production - many of which work smoothly and you don't need to touch often, you will find that Google's habit of forcing you to change how to use their tooling will generate a huge burden... They discourage you from using it and make it clear that for every use case... - Source: Hacker News / over 4 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Azure Cosmos DB and SimpleDB, you can also consider the following products

Redis - Redis is an open source in-memory data structure project implementing a distributed, in-memory key-value database with optional durability.

Ninox - Ninox is a human-friendly database. Create your own Business Application with Ninox that matches your workflow. Ninox lets you integrate CRM, ERP, HR and many more...

MongoDB - MongoDB (from "humongous") is a scalable, high-performance NoSQL database.

MongoDB Atlas - The best way to host MongoDB in the cloud. Deploy on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform. Try it free!

ArangoDB - A distributed open-source database with a flexible data model for documents, graphs, and key-values.

SAP HANA - SAP HANA is an in-memory, column-oriented, relational database management system.