Softwr

Software · head to head

Alibaba Cloud vs Nginx

Alibaba Cloud logo

Alibaba Cloud

Software

Asia's leading cloud computing provider

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Nginx logo

Nginx

Software

High-performance web server and reverse proxy

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Nginx open-source nginx has no admin API for changing arbitrary config at runtime; dynamic reconfiguration requires editing the config file and reloading via 'nginx -s reload'
  • They diverge on capability: Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Nginx covers High-performance web server.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alibaba Cloud and Nginx actually diverge.

Attributes where Alibaba Cloud and Nginx differ
AttributeAlibaba CloudNginx
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Api, CliWindows, macOS, Linux
Founded20092011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Nginx

  • High-performance web server
  • Reverse proxy
  • Load balancing
  • HTTP caching
  • SSL/TLS termination
  • Gzip compression
  • Rate limiting
  • Static file serving

Both cover

  • Docker
  • Kubernetes

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 Nginx
  • Pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitmentnot Nginx
  • Committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloadsnot Nginx
  • CDN and data transfer packages for content deliverynot Nginx

Nginx

  • HTTP web server and static file servingnot Alibaba Cloud
  • Reverse proxy and load balancernot Alibaba Cloud
  • TLS/SSL termination (SNI, HTTP/2, HTTP/3)not Alibaba Cloud
  • Content cachingnot Alibaba Cloud
  • Kubernetes Ingress Controller backendnot Alibaba Cloud
  • TCP/UDP stream proxyingnot 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

Nginx

  • Open-source nginx has no admin API for changing arbitrary config at runtime; dynamic reconfiguration requires editing the config file and reloading via 'nginx -s reload'
  • No official built-in GUI or dashboard for management or live metrics in the open-source edition
  • Advanced capabilities such as active health checks, dynamic upstream reconfiguration without reload, and a full API gateway feature set are exclusive to the paid NGINX Plus product, not open-source nginx
  • No published list price for NGINX Plus on the current F5 product page; pricing requires contacting sales

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

Nginx

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Web server
    • Reverse proxy
    • Load balancing

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.
Alibaba Cloud review

Choose Nginx if

  • You need high-performance web server.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want reverse proxy.
Nginx review

Questions people ask

Is Alibaba Cloud or Nginx better?
Neither clearly leads. Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and Nginx at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alibaba Cloud or Nginx?
Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and Nginx at Free.
Does Alibaba Cloud or Nginx run on more platforms?
Alibaba Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. Nginx runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
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 Nginx is typically brought in for.
What can Alibaba Cloud do that Nginx cannot?
Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Object Storage Service, RDS Database, MaxCompute. Nginx covers High-performance web server, Reverse proxy, Load balancing, HTTP caching. Both handle Docker, Kubernetes.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Alibaba Cloud

More on Nginx

Keep looking

Other head to heads