Software · head to head
Lambda (AWS Serverless) vs Vagrant
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Software
Run code without thinking about servers
- 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; Vagrant vagrant 2.4.3 and later is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1 with IBM Corporation as licensor, not an OSI open source licence
- They diverge on capability: Lambda (AWS Serverless) covers Function-as-a-Service, Vagrant covers Box management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Lambda (AWS Serverless) and Vagrant actually diverge.
| Attribute | Lambda (AWS Serverless) | Vagrant |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | usage-based | open-source |
| Platforms | Web, Api | Linux, Windows, Mac |
| Founded | 2014 | 2010 |
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 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 Vagrant
- Box management
- Provider support
- Multi-machine setups
- Provisioners
- Networking
- Synced folders
- Snapshots
- Plugins
Both cover
- 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 Vagrant
- API backends behind API Gatewaynot Vagrant
- Processing S3, DynamoDB, SQS and Kinesis eventsnot Vagrant
- Scheduled jobs without a always-on instancenot Vagrant
- Edge compute through Lambda@Edgenot Vagrant
Vagrant
- Reproducible local development environments defined in a Vagrantfilenot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Provisioning identical VMs across VirtualBox, VMware and Hyper-V for a teamnot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Sandboxing multi-machine setups on a developer laptopnot 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
Vagrant
- Vagrant 2.4.3 and later is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1 with IBM Corporation as licensor, not an OSI open source licence
- The Additional Use Grant forbids offering Vagrant to third parties on a hosted or embedded basis in a paid product that competes with IBM's paid versions of Vagrant
- Each version converts to the MPL 2.0 Change License only four years after that version is first published
- Uses that fall outside the Additional Use Grant require a separately negotiated licence from the licensor
Pricing, plan by plan
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Free- Free TierFree
- 1M free requests/month
- 400,000 GB-seconds/month
- Always free
Vagrant
Free- Open SourceFree
- Development environment provisioning
- Multiple providers
- Provisioner 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 Vagrant if
- You need box management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Mac.
- You also want provider support.
Questions people ask
- Is Lambda (AWS Serverless) or Vagrant better?
- Neither clearly leads. Lambda (AWS Serverless) starts at Free and Vagrant at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Lambda (AWS Serverless) or Vagrant?
- Lambda (AWS Serverless) starts at Free and Vagrant at Free.
- Does Lambda (AWS Serverless) or Vagrant run on more platforms?
- Lambda (AWS Serverless) runs on Web, Api. Vagrant runs on Linux, Windows, Mac.
- 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 Vagrant is typically brought in for.
- What can Lambda (AWS Serverless) do that Vagrant cannot?
- Lambda (AWS Serverless) covers Function-as-a-Service, Event-driven execution, Auto-scaling, Pay-per-use. Vagrant covers Box management, Provider support, Multi-machine setups, Provisioners. Both handle Cloud deployment.