Scope & service availability
Choose the exact region, service edition, account type and deployment mode. Tencent’s international and mainland-China catalogs and access requirements can differ.
MULTICLOUD FIELD GUIDE
Same building blocks.
Different cloud services.
Compare 26 service and component categories across eight infrastructure providers. Start with the capability, then check the provider’s implementation.
Compare providers
Named service = provider product~ Related = partial match or integration* Self-managed = you operate the software
Scroll the table horizontally to compare every selected provider. Similar purpose does not mean identical features, architecture, SLA or pricing.
| Component / purpose | AWSOfficial catalog | Microsoft AzureOfficial catalog | Google CloudOfficial catalog | Oracle Cloud (OCI)Official catalog | Akamai Cloud / LinodeOfficial catalog | IBM CloudOfficial catalog | Tencent CloudOfficial catalog | DigitalOceanOfficial catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FoundationsResource hierarchy Organize billing, ownership, access and policy scope. Comparison caveatThese are different control and billing boundaries. A project or resource group is not universally equivalent to an account. | Account → organizational units; Organizations | Tenant → management groups → subscriptions → resource groups | Organization → folders → projects | Tenancy → compartments | Account → resources / tags | Account → resource groups | Account → projects / resources | Team → projects / resources |
| Compute & containersVirtual machines Run operating systems and workloads with guest-level control. Comparison caveatCompare CPU architecture, guest images, disks, tenancy, availability model and responsibility for patching. | EC2 | Virtual Machines | Compute Engine | Compute VM instances | Linodes: Shared / Dedicated CPU | Virtual Servers for VPC | Cloud Virtual Machine (CVM) | Droplets |
| Compute & containersGPU compute Accelerate training, inference and parallel processing. Comparison caveatHardware, capacity, quotas, regions and supported machine types vary. A GPU is not a managed model platform. | EC2 GPU instance families | GPU Virtual Machines | GPU-enabled Compute Engine | GPU Compute shapes | GPU Linodes | GPU-capable VPC virtual servers | Cloud GPU Service | GPU Droplets |
| Compute & containersManaged Kubernetes Operate container workloads with a provider-managed control plane. Comparison caveatCheck control-plane SLA, worker-node ownership, upgrade policy, networking and add-on costs. | Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) | Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) | Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) | Kubernetes Engine (OKE) | Linode Kubernetes Engine (LKE) | IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service; OpenShift | Tencent Kubernetes Engine (TKE) | DigitalOcean Kubernetes (DOKS) |
| Compute & containersFunction execution Run short, event-driven units of application code. Comparison caveatSelf-hosted frameworks require you to manage runtime and scaling. Runtimes, triggers and execution limits differ. | Lambda | Azure Functions | Cloud Run functions | OCI Functions | * Functions on LKE / compute | Code Engine functions | Serverless Cloud Function (SCF) | Functions |
| Compute & containersManaged app / container runtime Deploy applications without managing a complete Kubernetes cluster. Comparison caveatThese are related deployment choices: a PaaS, serverless container platform and managed Kubernetes extension have different responsibilities. | App Runner; ECS with Fargate | App Service; Container Apps | Cloud Run | ~ Container Instances | ~ Akamai App Platform on LKE | Code Engine applications / jobs | ~ TKE Serverless | App Platform |
| StorageObject storage Store files and blobs through an object API. Comparison caveatAPI compatibility does not imply matching durability, consistency, replication, lifecycle or access-control behavior. | S3 | Blob Storage | Cloud Storage | Object Storage | Object Storage (S3-compatible) | Cloud Object Storage | Cloud Object Storage (COS) | Spaces (S3-compatible) |
| StorageBlock storage Attach persistent disk volumes to compute workloads. Comparison caveatCompare IOPS, throughput, attachment rules, encryption, snapshots and supported compute regions. | Elastic Block Store (EBS) | Managed Disks | Persistent Disk; Hyperdisk | Block Volumes | Block Storage | Block Storage for VPC | Cloud Block Storage (CBS) | Volumes |
| StorageShared file storage Share filesystem access across clients. Comparison caveatNFS, SMB and specialized filesystem services are not interchangeable. Self-managed NFS needs its own HA and backups. | Elastic File System (EFS); FSx | Azure Files; Azure NetApp Files | Filestore | File Storage | * NFS on compute / Kubernetes | File Storage for VPC | Cloud File Storage (CFS) | Network File Storage (NFS) |
| StorageBackup & recovery Create recoverable copies and validate restoration. Comparison caveatA snapshot alone is not a full disaster-recovery plan. Test application consistency, retention, restore access and RTO/RPO. | AWS Backup; EBS snapshots | Azure Backup; disk snapshots | Backup and DR; disk snapshots | Volume backups; Recovery Service | Backups; Images | IBM Cloud Backup for VPC; snapshots | Cloud Backup; CBS snapshots | Droplet Backups; Snapshots |
| Networking & edgePrivate network Isolate address spaces and control routing. Comparison caveatRegional versus global scope, peering, subnets and overlapping addresses need separate design review. | Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) | Virtual Network (VNet) | Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) | Virtual Cloud Network (VCN) | VPC; VLANs | Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) | Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) | VPC |
| Networking & edgeLoad balancing Distribute requests across healthy backends. Comparison caveatL4 and L7 behavior, TLS termination, health checks, private access and ingress capabilities differ. | Elastic Load Balancing: ALB / NLB | Load Balancer; Application Gateway | Cloud Load Balancing | Load Balancer; Network Load Balancer | NodeBalancers | Load Balancer for VPC | Cloud Load Balancer (CLB) | Load Balancers |
| Networking & edgeDNS Resolve service names and manage records. Comparison caveatAuthoritative DNS, private DNS, health-based routing and global traffic management require different capabilities. | Route 53 | Azure DNS | Cloud DNS | DNS Management | DNS Manager | DNS Services; Cloud Internet Services DNS | DNSPod | DNS / domain management |
| Networking & edgeCDN / edge delivery Cache and deliver content close to users. Comparison caveatAkamai edge services are separate from Linode compute. Spaces CDN is object-storage delivery, not a full general-purpose edge platform. | CloudFront | Azure Front Door | Cloud CDN | ~ Partner CDN / external edge service | Akamai CDN / Ion | Cloud Internet Services | CDN; EdgeOne | Spaces CDN |
| Networking & edgeNetwork firewall controls Filter network traffic by policy. Comparison caveatInstance rules, subnet ACLs and managed inspection appliances enforce at different layers. | Security Groups; Network Firewall | Network Security Groups; Azure Firewall | VPC firewall rules; Cloud NGFW | Security Lists; NSGs; OCI Network Firewall | Cloud Firewalls | Security groups; network ACLs | Security Groups; Cloud Firewall | Cloud Firewalls |
| Networking & edgeWeb application protection Inspect and protect HTTP applications against abuse. Comparison caveatEdge security and bot mitigation capabilities differ by service tier. A network firewall does not replace a WAF. | AWS WAF; Shield | WAF on Application Gateway / Front Door; DDoS Protection | Cloud Armor | OCI WAF | Akamai App & API Protector; Bot Manager | Cloud Internet Services WAF / DDoS | Web Application Firewall; EdgeOne | ~ Partner WAF / application controls |
| Data & integrationManaged relational database Operate SQL databases with managed maintenance and availability. Comparison caveatEngines, administrative permissions, HA, extensions, connection limits and restore features differ. | RDS; Aurora | Azure SQL; Database for PostgreSQL / MySQL | Cloud SQL; AlloyDB | Oracle Database services; MySQL HeatWave | Managed Databases: MySQL / PostgreSQL | Databases for PostgreSQL; Db2 | TencentDB; TDSQL | Managed Databases: PostgreSQL / MySQL |
| Data & integrationNoSQL / document storage Persist non-relational application data. Comparison caveatKey-value, document and wide-column databases have different query models and consistency guarantees. | DynamoDB; DocumentDB | Cosmos DB | Firestore; Bigtable | Oracle NoSQL Database | * Document database on compute / LKE | Cloudant; Databases for MongoDB | TencentDB for MongoDB | Managed MongoDB |
| Data & integrationIn-memory cache Reduce latency for frequently accessed data. Comparison caveatCache, durable in-memory database and compatible engines differ. Check persistence, failover and client compatibility. | ElastiCache; MemoryDB | Azure Managed Redis | Memorystore | OCI Cache | * Redis / Valkey on compute / LKE | Databases for Redis | TencentDB for Redis | Managed Caching (Valkey) |
| Data & integrationQueue / event streaming Decouple services and buffer asynchronous work. Comparison caveatQueues, event routing and logs/streams differ in ordering, delivery, replay, retention and consumer semantics. | SQS; SNS; EventBridge; MSK | Service Bus; Event Grid; Event Hubs | Pub/Sub; Managed Service for Apache Kafka | Queue; Streaming; Events | * Broker on compute / LKE | Event Streams | TDMQ; CKafka | Managed Kafka |
| Security & operationsIdentity & access Authenticate administrators and authorize cloud resources. Comparison caveatWorkforce identity, resource authorization and consumer CIAM are separate. Compare fine-grained scope and workload identity. | IAM; IAM Identity Center | Microsoft Entra ID; Azure RBAC | Cloud IAM; Cloud Identity | OCI IAM; identity domains | Cloud Manager access controls / IAM | IBM Cloud IAM | Cloud Access Management (CAM) | Identity and Access Management; team roles |
| Security & operationsKeys & secrets Protect encryption keys and application credentials. Comparison caveatApplication secret injection is not equivalent to managed KMS or HSM. Verify ownership, rotation and access audit. | KMS; Secrets Manager | Key Vault; Managed HSM | Cloud KMS; Secret Manager | OCI Vault / Key Management / Secrets | ~ External key/secret service or self-managed tooling | Key Protect; Secrets Manager | KMS; Secrets Manager | ~ App secrets / Kubernetes secrets; external KMS |
| Security & operationsMetrics, logs & traces Observe workload health and investigate behavior. Comparison caveatBuilt-in metrics, centralized log retention and tracing may require different products or external agents. | CloudWatch; X-Ray | Azure Monitor; Application Insights | Cloud Monitoring; Cloud Logging; Trace | Monitoring; Logging; APM | Akamai Cloud Pulse; compute metrics; app tooling | IBM Cloud Monitoring; Cloud Logs | Cloud Monitor; Cloud Log Service (CLS) | Monitoring; Uptime; app logs |
| Security & operationsAudit & configuration Trace control-plane actions and configuration state. Comparison caveatOperational logs are not automatically complete audit evidence. Check coverage, retention, export and tamper protection. | CloudTrail; AWS Config | Azure Activity Log; Azure Policy | Cloud Audit Logs; Cloud Asset Inventory | Audit; Cloud Guard | Cloud Pulse audit logs (supported services); external configuration checks | Activity Tracker Event Routing; Security and Compliance tooling | CloudAudit; Config | ~ Activity history; CSPM |
| Security & operationsInfrastructure as code Version, review and provision repeatable cloud resources. Comparison caveatA Terraform provider is an integration, not the same managed control plane as a hosted deployment service. Protect state and credentials. | CloudFormation; CDK; Terraform provider | ARM templates; Bicep; Terraform provider | Infrastructure Manager; Terraform provider | Resource Manager; Terraform provider | Linode Terraform provider; API / CLI | Schematics; Terraform provider | TencentCloud Terraform provider; API / CLI | DigitalOcean Terraform provider; API / doctl |
| AI & machine learningModel training / inference Train, deploy or invoke machine learning and generative models. Comparison caveatRaw GPU capacity, managed training, hosted models and agent platforms are different layers. Check data handling, models, quotas and regions. | SageMaker AI; Bedrock | Azure Machine Learning; Microsoft Foundry | Vertex AI | OCI Data Science; Generative AI | ~ GPU compute / self-managed model runtime | watsonx.ai | TI-ONE; Tencent HY / LLM Service | Gradient AI Platform; GPU Droplets |
TWO DISTINCT COMPANIES
IBM Cloud is a platform. Kyndryl adds managed infrastructure services.
Kyndryl became independent after the separation of IBM’s managed infrastructure services business. It offers managed public, private and hybrid cloud services; its offerings should not be substituted for IBM Cloud product names.
| Comparison | IBM Cloud | Kyndryl |
|---|---|---|
| Provider role | Cloud platform with named compute, storage, data and security services. | Managed public/private/hybrid infrastructure and operations, with consulting and modernization. |
| Compute / storage / containers | Provision catalog services such as VPC virtual servers, storage and Kubernetes. | Managed Private Cloud provides IaaS/PaaS; public-cloud operations use the selected underlying platform. |
| Operations & management | IBM Cloud console, APIs and platform services. | Kyndryl Bridge and managed-service processes; exact tooling and responsibility follow the engagement. |
| IBM-related workloads | IBM Power Virtual Server and other platform offerings. | Managed services for IBM Z and IBM i, alongside SAP and Oracle application services. |
| Commercial scope | Product plans and platform service terms. | Engagement-specific service scope, responsibilities and contractual commitments. |
COMPARE THE ARCHITECTURE, TOO
What to verify before implementation
Data & compliance
Assess residency, subprocessors, data classification, key ownership, contract and regulatory applicability for the actual service. A provider certification does not certify your workload.
Identity & security
Check workforce and workload identities, least privilege, private endpoints, secret rotation, audit coverage and responsibility for OS/runtime patching.
Resilience & operating model
Compare availability zones, failover, backups, restore tests, RTO/RPO, service limits and the control-plane/data-plane dependencies.
Cost & portability
Model compute, storage, requests, egress, support and idle resources. Test API compatibility and migration paths; names alone do not establish a portable design.
Lean Six Sigma evidence
Define the customer-critical outcome, measure a comparable baseline, pilot the design, validate failure paths and maintain a control plan with owners and thresholds.
Use the learning hub’s Standards & updates register for current monitored obligations and your Cloud Infrastructure guide for the implementation runbook. This product-name table is a dated reference snapshot, not a live regional availability or price feed.
Return to revision, architecture and governanceDocumentation used for the comparison
Catalog mappings are curated by function. Related and self-managed options are explicitly marked; they are not claims of exact service equivalence or exhaustive coverage of every provider product.