Google App Engine vs AWS

Owing to the surge in mobile app traffic, developers have now started looking towards cloud computing platforms. These platforms provide far greater computational resources required to increase the development speed, and also allows corporations to scale the app based on the incoming traffic.

Many major cloud service providers have dedicated tools for mobile app development, so you can choose one that best matches the project’s requirements.

Here, we take a look at the offerings from Google and Amazon, App Engine and AWS respectively, as we compare their features and advantages to help you make an informed decision.

Key Takeaways

• App Engine is the PaaS solution from Google Cloud

• AWS is the largest cloud provider in the world

• App Engine is a managed service

• AWS has managed and non-managed services

• Both solutions are free to start

What is Google App Engine? 

Part of the Google Cloud Platform, the App Engine is a fully managed and serverless Platform as a Service (PaaS) implementation that allows developers to start building their applications through data centers managed by Google in over 20 locations worldwide. App Engine supports nearly all the popular programming languages, including the likes of PHP, Ruby, Python, C#, Node.js, etc.

Being a fully managed service, Google App Engine manages and provisions the data servers on your behalf so that you can start developing and deploying your applications without worrying about the IaaS implementations.

You can bring in your own custom frameworks and libraries using Docker files and the app stacks are sandboxed for running over multiple servers. The Engine also handles the security and scaling.

Google App Engine Core Features 

• Development tools and languages

As stated earlier, GAE supports multiple development languages, making it easier for all kinds of developers to onboard onto the platform. Each language gets its own runtime and SDK, and developers can also import their libraries and frameworks using Docker containers.

• Easier A/B version testing

For better A/B testing, App Engine efficiently and effectively routes the incoming traffic to different versions of the app on your infrastructure. As a developer, you get to control the incremental traffic to each version to identify which version of the app works the best.

• Built-in diagnostic services

As part of GCP, App Engine also benefits from direct integration with cloud monitoring and cloud logging services, which can identify bugs in the app stack. You can then run an app reporting document to notify the testers who will repair the issue at the earliest.

Google App Engine Advantages

• Hassle-free deployment

Being a PaaS implementation, GAE handles all the backend implementation details of the infrastructure on your behalf. Leveraging Google’s global reach and scalability allows developers to test and deploy their apps to the preferred OS without worrying about the hassles of server-side setup.

• Scalability

The App Engine also handles scalability quite efficiently. It modulates the number of instances of your application depending on the volume of incoming traffic. For example, it can increase the number of active instances to match the traffic load and increase the number of idle instances during downtime to reduce the operational cost.

What is AWS? 

AWS is one of the world’s most adopted Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) implementation, offering developers over 200 fully-featured services through global data centers.

Solo developers and IT organizations get access to on-demand cloud computing infrastructure and APIs that can be used to test and deploy scalable applications, no matter which stage of development it is in.

As a developer, you can also configure your applications with features like multi-stage authentication, backend logic, storage, hosting, content delivery, analytics, push notifications, etc.

You can also put your applications through A/B testing using real devices to improve the app performance for the end-users. Users are charged on a “Pay-as-you-go” model, and you can pay for either a single VM, a physical computer, or a cluster of either.

AWS Core Features 

• Comprehensive suite of applications

Being an IaaS implementation, AWS offers a complete range of services and features, more than any other cloud service provider. It has infrastructure solutions for computing, storage, hosting, databases, machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and IoT. 

• Virtual machine features

When deploying multiple instances of virtual machines on AWS, you can create and terminate VM instances on stored disk images on demand for better functionality. There is essentially no restriction on VM management, and you can install virtually any OS you wish on the instance and tag it for future references.

• Networking features

Amazon Web Services also presents developers with a formidable global cloud infrastructure that consists of over 80 availability zones within 25 locations around the world. There are currently plans for at least 24 more availability zones and 8 more locations, which further ensures better availability and connectivity through low latency highly redundant networking.

AWS Advantages 

• Advanced security

Amazon’s AWS is built on one of the most robust yet flexible cloud computing environments that finds its use in multiple sectors, including the military, banking, and other high-sensitivity organizations. It is backed by over 200 security services and features, with up to 90 security and compliance certificates. Moreover, all your data on the AWS servers are encrypted for added security.

• Fastest innovation

AWS also allows developers to experiment with the latest technologies available in the market and bring innovative features to their app stacks ahead of the competition. The platform continues adding new services that unlock additional functionality.

For instance, AWS Lambda allows developers to run their code without provisioning the servers, while SageMaker, the machine learning service, brings advanced capabilities into the hands of new developers.

• Community support

Building with Amazon, you get access to one of the most dynamic developer communities, consisting of customers from virtually every public and private sector industry in the world. The Partner Network consists of several system integrators and independent software vendors who adapt their technology to work on AWS.

App Engine vs AWS Comparison

Conclusion

Being a fully managed PaaS implantation, Google App Engine is comparatively easier to set up and get running. However, depending on the scope and scale of your project, the advanced features, security, and operational expertise of the reliable AWS might be a better fit for your project.

So, you will need to compare the two platforms side by side using the features and advantages mentioned above and select one that best matches your requirements. If you cannot decide on one on your own, do not hesitate to get in touch with a leading app hosting company for deeper insights into the topic.

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