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Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

AWS (Amazon Web Services) vs Cockroach Labs

AWS (Amazon Web Services) logo

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Cloud & Infrastructure

The leading cloud computing platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Cockroach Labs logo

Cockroach Labs

Database & Data Management

The cloud-native distributed SQL database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AWS (Amazon Web Services) data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills; Cockroach Labs basic and Standard tiers limited to AWS and GCP (select regions only)
  • They diverge on capability: AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Cockroach Labs actually diverge.

Attributes where AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Cockroach Labs differ
AttributeAWS (Amazon Web Services)Cockroach Labs
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Api, Cli, MobileAWS, GCP, Azure
CategoryCloud & InfrastructureDatabase & Data Management
Founded20062015

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

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 AWS (Amazon Web Services)

  • EC2 - Virtual Servers
  • S3 - Object Storage
  • RDS - Managed Database
  • Lambda - Serverless Computing
  • CloudFront - CDN
  • VPC - Virtual Network
  • IAM - Access Management
  • CloudWatch - Monitoring

Only in Cockroach Labs

  • Distributed SQL
  • Automatic Sharding
  • Multi-region Replication
  • Geo-partitioning
  • ACID Transactions
  • Horizontal Scaling
  • Survivability
  • PostgreSQL Compatibility

Both cover

  • Terraform
  • Kubernetes
  • Datadog
  • SOC2
  • ISO27001
  • HIPAA

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

  • Web hostingnot Cockroach Labs
  • Data storagenot Cockroach Labs
  • Machine learningnot Cockroach Labs
  • Big data analyticsnot Cockroach Labs
  • Application developmentnot Cockroach Labs

Cockroach Labs

  • Distributed SQL database for scalable applicationsnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
  • Multi-region deployment and failovernot AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

  • Data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills
  • Discounts require one or three year Savings Plan commitments rather than being automatic
  • Every service is priced separately, so a working architecture has no single published cost
  • The free tier is a promotional allowance rather than an ongoing free plan

Cockroach Labs

  • Basic and Standard tiers limited to AWS and GCP (select regions only)
  • Azure support restricted to Advanced tier only
  • Basic tier limited to 50 million RUs and 10 GiB storage per month
  • Advanced tier starts at $0.60/hour for 4 vCPUs minimum
  • 3 TiB maximum storage on Basic and Standard tiers, 10 TiB per node on Advanced

Pricing, plan by plan

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Free
  • AWS Free TierFree
    • EC2 750 hours/month
    • 5GB S3 storage
    • 20GB data transfer
  • Pay-As-You-GoFree
    • No upfront payment
    • No long-term commitments
    • Pay only for what you use

Cockroach Labs

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cockroach Labs review.

Which should you pick?

Choose AWS (Amazon Web Services) if

  • You need ec2 - virtual servers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile.
  • You also want s3 - object storage.
AWS (Amazon Web Services) review

Choose Cockroach Labs if

  • You need distributed sql.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS, GCP, Azure.
  • You also want automatic sharding.
Cockroach Labs review

Questions people ask

Is AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Cockroach Labs better?
Neither clearly leads. AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and Cockroach Labs at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Cockroach Labs?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and Cockroach Labs at Free.
Does AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Cockroach Labs run on more platforms?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) runs on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile. Cockroach Labs runs on AWS, GCP, Azure.
Can I use AWS (Amazon Web Services) for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is AWS (Amazon Web Services) best used for?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) is most often used for web hosting, data storage, machine learning, big data analytics. Of those, web hosting and data storage are not what Cockroach Labs is typically brought in for.
What can AWS (Amazon Web Services) do that Cockroach Labs cannot?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, S3 - Object Storage, RDS - Managed Database, Lambda - Serverless Computing. Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, Automatic Sharding, Multi-region Replication, Geo-partitioning. Both handle Terraform, Kubernetes, Datadog, SOC2.
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