Google App Engine vs Azure

Public cloud services have been a boon to mobile app developers, providing them greater processing power and servers available round the clock. This directly results in maximum uptime for larger traffic drawing apps and also helps massively with scalability as the userbase grows.

Two of the most popular cloud service providers are Google and Microsoft, providing app developers with a friendly environment to build and deploy apps that can be run on multiple platforms without any compatibility issues.

Take a look as we compare the Google App Engine and Microsoft Azure so that you can select one that best matches your business requirements.

What is Google App Engine? 

According to the official documentation, Google App Engine is a fully managed, serverless, platform as a service (PaaS) implementation that offers developers the tools and services required to deploy and host scalable apps through Google-managed data centers.

It natively supports multiple development languages, including Ruby, Python, Java, PHP, C#, Node.js, .NET, etc. It is offered in over 20 locations worldwide and provides developers with the unparalleled scalability of Google infrastructure.

Applications developers using App Engine are sandboxed and can be run across multiple servers. It also provisions the data servers on your behalf and scales the app on demand.

This way, developers can focus solely on improving the app user experience as Google will handle the implementation details on its own. The Engine ensures that your apps are secure 

Google App Engine Core Features 

• Multiple development tools and languages

What Google App Engine really attracts developers is for the variety of programming languages that it supports. The platform supports multiple developing languages including PHP, C#, Java, .Net, Ruby, etc., and also offers the flexibility to import libraries and frameworks through docker containers. Every language gets its own SDK and runtime.

• Diagnostic services

As part of the Google Cloud Platform, App Engine can also benefit from cloud monitoring and cloud logging, services that run scans to identify bugs in the app stack. The app reporting document can then use the errors found to fix bugs on an immediate basis.

• Effective traffic management

The App Engine is also especially adept at routing the incoming traffic to different versions of the application on the infrastructure for effective A/B testing. As a developer, you can plan the traffic increments to each version to identify which app version works the best.

Google App Engine Advantages 

• Developer friendly

The flexibility and security of the App Engine make it a preferred choice among developers as they can use the platform as they see fit to maximize their productivity.

Due to close connections to the Kubernetes Engine, you can bring any library or framework to the app engine using isolated containers. You also get access to a wide range of APIs that allow you to improve the functionality of the application. 

• Quicker deployment

Since the Engine manages the implementation details of the infrastructure on your behalf, as a developer, you can focus your efforts on improving the app experience for the end-users without the hassle of managing the server-side setup at all.

A PaaS implementation with Google’s scalability capabilities allows you to test and deploy your app to your preferred OS quicker.

• Better scalability

By default, the App Engine automatically scales the number of instances of your app up and down depending on the incoming traffic. It will utilize more resources to match the traffic load and ensure better performance or increase idle instances to reduce operational costs. That way, you can ensure consistency without paying more out of your pocket.

What is Azure? 

Azure is Microsoft’s public cloud service, allowing developers to test, deploy, and manage innovative apps and services through Microsoft-managed data centers.

It offers a robust Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) portfolio with Platform as a Service (PaaS) features for Windows and Linux and is available in 54 locations across the globe, with over 160 availability zones.

Azure is downright a natural choice for developers focusing on the Microsoft tech stack, but it also offers extensive support for Linux. In fact, in the Linux environment, you can also build your own docker file image and deploy it for better control over the development process.

Azure web apps for Windows also provides Visual Studio integration and supports multiple languages like Ruby, Java, PHP, Python, PHP, etc.

Azure Core Features

• DDOS protection

Azure storage services come enabled with server-side encryption, is user-customizable, and are built into multiple layers for enhanced protection. The built-in Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) protection kicks in when the platform detects an attack and comes in addition to the inbound and outbound network traffic management security. 

• Capacity management

The platform also brings a hybrid storage architecture called StorSimple, that addresses all the enterprise-level storage requirements. These tasks include data tiering, architecture, compression, archiving, offsite storage, DR, etc. Frequently accessed data is uploaded to faster SSDs, while the rest is automatically tiered into HDDs.

• Operation management suite

Microsoft Operation Management Suite (OMS) provides developers with a single-pane view of the hybrid environment, providing better visibility and insights into what is happening with your infrastructure. The built-in log analytics solution collects and analyzes data from the VMs, network, storage, etc. and provides valuable information in an easy to access manner.

Azure Advantages 

• Resiliency and disaster recovery

Azure is a dream tool for disaster recovery, as it integrates directly with your Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery strategy. Being a cloud-based solution, it is innately flexible and can back up your data on any OS, in almost every language, from wherever you want.

Moreover, you can define the frequency and extent of backups. If your VM is hosted entirely on the cloud, Azure VM level backup can be used to protect the OS and the files contained within it.

• Active Directory integration

The platform can also integrate with your Active Directory to boost your app’s identity and access capacities. Active Directory integration not only improves the security of your DNS but also provides it with a global reach and unlocks centralized access and management for on-premises apps like Office 365. It also enables multi-factor authentication for enhanced security and hassle-free signing in for the users.

• Develop IoT industry solutions

If you are thinking of delving into the IoT industry, Azure might be the perfect platform for you to build and test your apps. The innate flexibility, scalability, and security of this IaaS solution allow developers to connect their applications to the cloud infrastructure and collect new data easily. With better insights, you can improve customer experience and make faster and better business decisions for your company.

Azure vs App Engine

Conclusion

Being a Platform as a Service (PaaS) implementation, Google App Engine allows developers to take advantage of the infrastructure without managing the implementation details.

However, depending on the scope and scale of the project, Azure’s unique implementation capabilities may be a better fit for your project if the situation calls for it.

If you cannot decide on your own, a leading app hosting company can provide you with detailed insights on the topic, allowing you to interpret your resources to make an informed decision.

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