GCP
GCP vs AWS in 2024: A Comprehensive Cloud Platform Comparison
An in-depth comparison of Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services, covering services, pricing, features, and best practices for cloud adoption in 2024
March 15, 2024
DevHub Team
5 min read
GCP vs AWS in 2024: A Comprehensive Cloud Platform Comparison
As cloud computing continues to evolve, choosing between Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) becomes increasingly complex. This guide provides a detailed comparison to help you make an informed decision in 2024.
Platform Overview
graph TB
subgraph "Core Infrastructure"
A1["Compute"]
B1["Storage"]
C1["Networking"]
end
subgraph "Platform Services"
A2["Containers"]
B2["Serverless"]
C2["Databases"]
end
subgraph "Advanced Services"
A3["AI/ML"]
B3["Analytics"]
C3["Security"]
end
A1 --> A2
B1 --> B2
C1 --> C2
A2 --> A3
B2 --> B3
C2 --> C3
classDef aws fill:#FF9900,stroke:#fff,color:#fff
classDef gcp fill:#1a73e8,stroke:#fff,color:#fff
class A1,B1,C1 aws
class A2,B2,C2,A3,B3,C3 gcp
Service Comparison
Category | AWS | GCP |
---|---|---|
Compute | EC2 | Compute Engine |
Containers | EKS/ECS | GKE |
Serverless | Lambda | Cloud Functions |
Storage | S3 | Cloud Storage |
Compute Services
Virtual Machines
# AWS EC2 Configuration Resources: EC2Instance: Type: 'AWS::EC2::Instance' Properties: InstanceType: t3.medium ImageId: ami-12345678 SecurityGroups: - !Ref SecurityGroup UserData: Fn::Base64: !Sub | #!/bin/bash yum update -y yum install -y httpd systemctl start httpd systemctl enable httpd # GCP Compute Engine Configuration resources: - name: vm-instance type: compute.v1.instance properties: machineType: n1-standard-2 zone: us-central1-a disks: - deviceName: boot type: PERSISTENT boot: true autoDelete: true initializeParams: sourceImage: projects/debian-cloud/global/images/debian-10 networkInterfaces: - network: global/networks/default accessConfigs: - name: External NAT type: ONE_TO_ONE_NAT
Container Orchestration
Feature | AWS EKS | GCP GKE |
---|---|---|
Auto-scaling | Cluster Autoscaler | Autopilot |
Node Management | Manual | Automated |
Integration | AWS Services | GCP Services |
Storage Solutions
Object Storage Comparison
// AWS S3 Implementation import { S3Client, PutObjectCommand } from "@aws-sdk/client-s3"; const s3Client = new S3Client({ region: "us-west-2" }); async function uploadToS3(bucket: string, key: string, body: Buffer) { const command = new PutObjectCommand({ Bucket: bucket, Key: key, Body: body, }); return await s3Client.send(command); } // GCP Cloud Storage Implementation import { Storage } from "@google-cloud/storage"; const storage = new Storage(); async function uploadToGCS(bucket: string, filename: string, contents: Buffer) { const bucketObj = storage.bucket(bucket); const file = bucketObj.file(filename); await file.save(contents, { contentType: "application/octet-stream", }); }
Storage Features
Feature | AWS S3 | GCP Cloud Storage |
---|---|---|
Storage Classes | 6 tiers | 4 tiers |
Lifecycle Management | Advanced | Basic |
Versioning | Built-in | Built-in |
Database Services
Managed Databases
# AWS RDS Configuration Resources: MyDB: Type: 'AWS::RDS::DBInstance' Properties: DBName: mydb Engine: mysql MasterUsername: admin MasterUserPassword: !Ref 'DBPassword' DBInstanceClass: db.t3.medium AllocatedStorage: '20' BackupRetentionPeriod: 7 # GCP Cloud SQL Configuration resources: - name: mysql-instance type: sqladmin.v1beta4.instance properties: settings: tier: db-n1-standard-2 backupConfiguration: enabled: true startTime: '23:00' databaseFlags: - name: character_set_server value: utf8mb4
Database Features
Feature | AWS | GCP |
---|---|---|
SQL | RDS | Cloud SQL |
NoSQL | DynamoDB | Firestore |
In-Memory | ElastiCache | Memorystore |
Machine Learning and AI
Service Comparison
Category | AWS | GCP |
---|---|---|
ML Platform | SageMaker | Vertex AI |
Vision API | Rekognition | Vision AI |
Speech | Transcribe | Speech-to-Text |
Pricing Comparison
Compute Pricing
interface ComputePricing { provider: string; instanceType: string; vCPUs: number; memory: number; pricePerHour: number; } const computePricing: ComputePricing[] = [ { provider: "AWS", instanceType: "t3.medium", vCPUs: 2, memory: 4, pricePerHour: 0.0416 }, { provider: "GCP", instanceType: "n1-standard-2", vCPUs: 2, memory: 4, pricePerHour: 0.0475 } ];
Storage Pricing
Storage Type | AWS (per GB/month) | GCP (per GB/month) |
---|---|---|
Standard | $0.023 | $0.020 |
Infrequent Access | $0.0125 | $0.010 |
Archive | $0.004 | $0.004 |
Security Features
Identity and Access Management
// AWS IAM Policy const awsPolicy = { Version: "2012-10-17", Statement: [ { Effect: "Allow", Action: [ "s3:GetObject", "s3:PutObject" ], Resource: "arn:aws:s3:::my-bucket/*" } ] }; // GCP IAM Policy const gcpPolicy = { bindings: [ { role: "roles/storage.objectViewer", members: [ "user:jane@example.com" ] } ] };
Security Features Comparison
Feature | AWS | GCP |
---|---|---|
Identity | IAM | Cloud IAM |
Network Security | Security Groups | Firewall Rules |
Key Management | KMS | Cloud KMS |
Migration Considerations
Migration Strategies
-
Lift and Shift
# AWS CloudFormation Resources: MigrationInstance: Type: 'AWS::EC2::Instance' Properties: InstanceType: m5.large ImageId: ami-migration-tools # GCP Deployment Manager resources: - name: migration-instance type: compute.v1.instance properties: machineType: n1-standard-2 metadata: items: - key: startup-script value: | #!/bin/bash # Install migration tools apt-get update apt-get install -y cloud-migrate
-
Re-platforming
# AWS Elastic Beanstalk Resources: Application: Type: 'AWS::ElasticBeanstalk::Application' Properties: Description: Migration application # GCP App Engine runtime: python39 env: standard instance_class: F2 automatic_scaling: target_cpu_utilization: 0.65 min_instances: 1 max_instances: 10
Best Practices
Architecture Patterns
Pattern | AWS Implementation | GCP Implementation |
---|---|---|
Microservices | ECS/EKS + API Gateway | GKE + Cloud Run |
Serverless | Lambda + DynamoDB | Cloud Functions + Firestore |
Data Lake | S3 + Athena | Cloud Storage + BigQuery |
Decision Matrix
Use Case Recommendations
Use Case | Recommended Platform | Reason |
---|---|---|
Enterprise | AWS | Mature ecosystem |
ML/AI | GCP | Advanced AI capabilities |
Hybrid Cloud | GCP | Anthos platform |
References
- AWS Documentation
- GCP Documentation
- AWS Pricing Calculator
- GCP Pricing Calculator
- Cloud Migration Guide
- AWS vs GCP Services
Related Posts
- GCP Vertex AI - ML capabilities
- GCP Cloud Run Jobs - Serverless
- GCP Cost Optimization - Pricing
- GCP Serverless - Architecture
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