Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head
Lambda (AWS Serverless) vs Oracle Cloud
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Cloud & Infrastructure
Run code without thinking about servers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Oracle Cloud
Cloud & Infrastructure
Enterprise cloud computing services
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Lambda (AWS Serverless) billed on two axes at once, $0.20 per million requests plus $0.0000166667 per GB-second of duration, so memory settings change the bill as much as traffic does; Oracle Cloud the free trial gives US$300 of credit that expires when consumed or after 30 days, whichever comes first
- They diverge on capability: Lambda (AWS Serverless) covers Function-as-a-Service, Oracle Cloud covers Autonomous Database.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Lambda (AWS Serverless) and Oracle Cloud actually diverge.
| Attribute | Lambda (AWS Serverless) | Oracle Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, Api | Linux, Windows, Api, Cli |
| Founded | 2014 | 2019 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud & Infrastructure).
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 Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Function-as-a-Service
- Event-driven execution
- Auto-scaling
- Pay-per-use
- Multiple languages
- Concurrency limits
- Dead Letter Queues
- Environment variables
Only in Oracle Cloud
- Autonomous Database
- Compute Instances
- MySQL Database Service
- Object Storage
- Block Volume
- Load Balancers
- Virtual Cloud Network
- Terraform
Both cover
- API Gateway
- Cloud deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Event-driven functions without managing serversnot Oracle Cloud
- API backends behind API Gatewaynot Oracle Cloud
- Processing S3, DynamoDB, SQS and Kinesis eventsnot Oracle Cloud
- Scheduled jobs without a always-on instancenot Oracle Cloud
- Edge compute through Lambda@Edgenot Oracle Cloud
Oracle Cloud
- Running virtual machines, databases and storage on Oracle's cloud infrastructurenot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Hosting Oracle Database workloads on infrastructure from the same vendornot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Billed on two axes at once, $0.20 per million requests plus $0.0000166667 per GB-second of duration, so memory settings change the bill as much as traffic does
- Provisioned concurrency, used to avoid cold starts, is charged separately at $0.0000041667 per GB-second whether or not the function runs
- Ephemeral storage beyond the included 512 MB is metered
- Lambda@Edge costs $0.60 per million requests, three times the standard request rate
- VPC use and cross-region data transfer carry EC2 charges on top
Oracle Cloud
- The free trial gives US$300 of credit that expires when consumed or after 30 days, whichever comes first
- The US$300 cloud credit is available only in select countries
- Only one Oracle Cloud Free Trial or Always Free account is permitted per person
- Accounts left idle for 30 days or more are eligible for suspension or termination as abandoned
- Always Free NoSQL Database is restricted to the Phoenix region
- Free Tier availability is subject to capacity limits, and the published per-service capacity figures are estimates that assume the entire credit is spent on that one service
Pricing, plan by plan
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Free- Free TierFree
- 1M free requests/month
- 400,000 GB-seconds/month
- Always free
Oracle Cloud
Free- Always FreeFree
- Oracle Autonomous Database
- 2 compute instances
- 100 GB storage
- Pay-as-You-GoFree
- Flexible pricing
- No long-term commitment
- Enterprise support
Which should you pick?
Choose Lambda (AWS Serverless) if
- You need function-as-a-service.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want event-driven execution.
Choose Oracle Cloud if
- You need autonomous database.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- You also want compute instances.
Questions people ask
- Is Lambda (AWS Serverless) or Oracle Cloud better?
- Neither clearly leads. Lambda (AWS Serverless) starts at Free and Oracle Cloud at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Lambda (AWS Serverless) or Oracle Cloud?
- Lambda (AWS Serverless) starts at Free and Oracle Cloud at Free.
- Does Lambda (AWS Serverless) or Oracle Cloud run on more platforms?
- Lambda (AWS Serverless) runs on Web, Api. Oracle Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- Can I use Lambda (AWS Serverless) for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Lambda (AWS Serverless) best used for?
- Lambda (AWS Serverless) is most often used for event-driven functions without managing servers, api backends behind api gateway, processing s3, dynamodb, sqs and kinesis events, scheduled jobs without a always-on instance. Of those, event-driven functions without managing servers and api backends behind api gateway are not what Oracle Cloud is typically brought in for.
- What can Lambda (AWS Serverless) do that Oracle Cloud cannot?
- Lambda (AWS Serverless) covers Function-as-a-Service, Event-driven execution, Auto-scaling, Pay-per-use. Oracle Cloud covers Autonomous Database, Compute Instances, MySQL Database Service, Object Storage. Both handle API Gateway, Cloud deployment.