Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Azure Stack VS AWS Outposts

Compare Azure Stack VS AWS Outposts and see what are their differences

Azure Stack logo Azure Stack

Microsoft Azure Stack is an extension of Azure that brings the innovation of cloud computing to build and deploy hybrid applications anywhere.

AWS Outposts logo AWS Outposts

Application and Data, Build, Test, Deploy, and AWS Tools
  • Azure Stack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-12
  • AWS Outposts Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-11-01

Azure Stack features and specs

  • Hybrid Cloud Capabilities
    Azure Stack allows for a seamless hybrid cloud experience, enabling organizations to use Azure services both on-premises and in the cloud, which promotes flexibility and scalability in IT infrastructure.
  • Consistent Development Environment
    Developers can use the same tools, APIs, and processes used in the Azure public cloud, providing a consistent and efficient development experience across environments.
  • Data Sovereignty
    Organizations can keep sensitive data on-premises, complying with regional data sovereignty laws and regulations while still leveraging Azure services.
  • Edge Computing
    Azure Stack can process and analyze data locally, close to the source, which is beneficial for scenarios that require low latency, such as IoT and real-time analytics.
  • Customizable Hardware
    Azure Stack can be deployed on hardware options from several OEM partners, offering flexibility in terms of hardware choices to meet specific organizational needs.

Possible disadvantages of Azure Stack

  • Initial Cost
    Implementing Azure Stack can be expensive due to the need for specific hardware, licensing fees, and the potential complexity of integration with existing systems.
  • Management Complexity
    Managing an Azure Stack environment can be complex, requiring skilled personnel and additional resources to maintain and support the hybrid cloud infrastructure.
  • Limited Service Availability
    Not all Azure services available in the public cloud are supported on Azure Stack, which may restrict certain functionalities and require careful planning and architecture design.
  • Updates and Maintenance
    Azure Stack requires regular updates and maintenance to keep it aligned with the Azure cloud and to ensure security, which can add to operational overhead.
  • Scalability Constraints
    Although Azure Stack offers scalability, it is still bound by on-premises infrastructure limits, which may constrain growth compared to the scalability offered by the full Azure public cloud.

AWS Outposts features and specs

  • Consistent Hybrid Experience
    AWS Outposts delivers a truly consistent hybrid experience by extending AWS infrastructure, services, APIs, and tools to virtually any data center or on-premises facility, allowing seamless integration with your cloud operations.
  • Reduced Latency
    By running AWS services locally on Outposts, organizations can process and store data on-premises, reducing latency for applications that require near-instantaneous responses.
  • Scalability
    AWS Outposts offers flexible configurations allowing businesses to start small and scale their operations easily as demand grows, similar to how they would scale in the AWS cloud.
  • Managed Infrastructure
    The infrastructure is managed, monitored, and updated by AWS, reducing the operational burden on companies and ensuring they are using the latest technology and security updates.
  • Broad Range of Services
    Enables the use of a broad range of AWS services, like EC2, ECS, EKS, and RDS on-premises, providing flexibility for various workloads and applications.

Possible disadvantages of AWS Outposts

  • Cost
    AWS Outposts can be expensive, especially for smaller businesses, as it requires upfront investment in hardware and may incur higher operational costs compared to using full cloud solutions.
  • Limited Service Availability
    Not all AWS services are available on Outposts yet, which can limit certain functionalities that businesses may want to operate in their on-premises environments.
  • Complexity of Integration
    Integrating Outposts with existing on-premises infrastructure can be complex, requiring careful planning and potentially additional resources or expertise.
  • Physical Space Requirement
    Requires physical space in data centers or on-premises environments, which can be a constraint for businesses with limited additional space.
  • Dependency on AWS
    As Outposts is tightly integrated with AWS, businesses can face significant challenges if they ever decide to diversify their dependencies or migrate away from AWS.

Azure Stack videos

Azure Stack - An extension of Azure | Azure Friday

More videos:

  • Review - Azure Stack HCI 20H2 with Cosmos Darwin
  • Review - Dell EMC Solutions for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI Deep Dive

AWS Outposts videos

Introduction to AWS Outposts - AWS Online Tech Talks

More videos:

  • Review - Introducing AWS Outposts

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Azure Stack and AWS Outposts)
Cloud Computing
47 47%
53% 53
Cloud Storage
73 73%
27% 27
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Object Storage
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, AWS Outposts should be more popular than Azure Stack. It has been mentiond 23 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 Stack mentions (3)

  • Oxide: The Cloud Computer
    Oracle, AWS & Azure all have "Cloud at Customer" offerings. And these offerings have existed for years. https://www.oracle.com/cloud/cloud-at-customer/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/azure-stack https://aws.amazon.com/outposts/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Some old propaganda from the Windows 7 Retail Release.
    Azure runs a specialised version of Windows server called Azure Stack. You can get info on the versions Microsoft released to the public here https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/azure-stack/. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Did they just invent on-prem hosting?
    Azure Stack - https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/azure-stack/. Source: over 3 years ago

AWS Outposts mentions (23)

  • Cloud Buzzwords every Software Engineer needs to know
    AWS Outposts: AWS Outposts extend AWS infrastructure, services, APIs, and tools to virtually any datacenter, co-location space, or on-premises facility. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Oxide: The Cloud Computer
    Oracle, AWS & Azure all have "Cloud at Customer" offerings. And these offerings have existed for years. https://www.oracle.com/cloud/cloud-at-customer/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/azure-stack https://aws.amazon.com/outposts/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Debunking the Misconception: Gaming as a Beneficial Pursuit
    Riot already uses AWS’ services across its games to focus on how it designs and deploys content to help provide the best possible game experience, using edge computing like AWS Outposts and AWS Local Zones. Riot aims for latency under 80 milliseconds for League of Legends, and under 35 milliseconds for Valorant. Now Riot is going to use AWS to enhance its esports broadcasts throughout each competitive season for... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • An end user just asked me: “don’t you wish we still had our own Exchange server so we could fix everything instead of waiting for MS”?
    Now you pay the cloud to come to you. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Prime Video abandons serverless distributed stack for monolith, saves 90%
    They already do ^_^. AWS Outpost[1] [1]: https://aws.amazon.com/outposts/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Azure Stack and AWS Outposts, you can also consider the following products

AWS Storage Gateway - AWS Storage Gateway is a service connecting an on-premises software appliance with cloud-based storage.

Google Anthos - Anthos is an open application platform that can help you accelerate app development, and enables consistency across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Azure Storage Explorer - Easily manage your Azure storage accounts in the cloud, from Windows, macOS, or Linux, using Azure Storage Explorer.

OpenShift - OpenShift gives you all the tools you need to develop, host and scale your apps in the public or private cloud. Get started today.

VMware vSAN - VMware vSAN is radically simple, enterprise-class software-defined storage powering VMware hyper-converged infrastructure. 

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service