Software · head to head
Alibaba Cloud vs Chef
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Alibaba Cloud technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included; Chef priced per node per year, at $59 on Business and $189 on Enterprise, so cost scales with fleet size rather than with team size
- They diverge on capability: Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Chef covers Recipes.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Alibaba Cloud and Chef actually diverge.
| Attribute | Alibaba Cloud | Chef |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | usage-based | open-source |
| Platforms | Linux, Windows, Api, Cli | Linux, Windows, Mac, Api |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2009).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Alibaba Cloud
- Elastic Compute Service
- Object Storage Service
- RDS Database
- MaxCompute
- Function Compute
- CDN
- Load Balancer
- API Gateway
Only in Chef
- Recipes
- Cookbooks
- Roles
- Data bags
- Attributes
- Chef Server
- Chef Infra
- Chef Compliance
Both cover
- Docker
- Cloud deployment
- Linux support
- Windows support
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Alibaba Cloud
- Cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in China and Asia Pacificnot Chef
- Pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitmentnot Chef
- Committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloadsnot Chef
- CDN and data transfer packages for content deliverynot Chef
Chef
- Configuration management and infrastructure automation across server fleetsnot Alibaba Cloud
- Enforcing compliance and audit policy on managed nodesnot Alibaba Cloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Alibaba Cloud
- Technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included
- Service prices are not shown as a rate card and route through a calculator or sales
- Committed discounts require savings plans, reserved instances or capacity packages rather than being automatic
Chef
- Priced per node per year, at $59 on Business and $189 on Enterprise, so cost scales with fleet size rather than with team size
- Tripling the price between the two published tiers puts compliance and audit features well above basic automation
- Enterprise Plus and every self managed deployment are custom quoted with no published price
Pricing, plan by plan
Alibaba Cloud
Free- Free TrialFree
- Free tier credits
- ECS instances
- Cloud storage
- Pay-as-You-GoFree
- Flexible billing
- No commitments
- Global reach
Chef
Free- Open SourceFree
- Chef Infra
- Community support
- Full functionality
- Chef Automate$4000/year
- Chef Infra
- Compliance automation
- Insights
Which should you pick?
Choose Alibaba Cloud if
- You need elastic compute service.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- You also want object storage service.
Choose Chef if
- You need recipes.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
- You also want cookbooks.
Questions people ask
- Is Alibaba Cloud or Chef better?
- Neither clearly leads. Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and Chef at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Alibaba Cloud or Chef?
- Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and Chef at Free.
- Does Alibaba Cloud or Chef run on more platforms?
- Alibaba Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. Chef runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
- Can I use Alibaba Cloud for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Alibaba Cloud best used for?
- Alibaba Cloud is most often used for cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific, pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment, committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloads, cdn and data transfer packages for content delivery. Of those, cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific and pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment are not what Chef is typically brought in for.
- What can Alibaba Cloud do that Chef cannot?
- Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Object Storage Service, RDS Database, MaxCompute. Chef covers Recipes, Cookbooks, Roles, Data bags. Both handle Docker, Cloud deployment, Linux support, Windows support.
Related pages
More on Alibaba Cloud
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