aws-elastic-beanstalk-vs-aws-lambda

AWS Elastic Beanstalk and AWS Lambda are both platform as a service products that enable businesses to utilize cloud computing. Both are AWS products, but they serve slightly different use cases.  AWS Elastic Beanstalk is ideal for deploying and managing fully functional applications. AWS Lambda is a serverless product that allows for the deployment of small applications or pieces of larger applications at a low cost.  Both products are popular with businesses of all sizes, depending on their use case.  It is possible to use both platforms, with AWS Lambda being used for the heaviest computing portions of an application.

Features

AWS Elastic Beanstalk and AWS Lambda both provide a platform for cloud computing, but they also have some standout features that are important to consider.

AWS Elastic Beanstalk provides a complete platform for computing and application deployment.  Businesses using AWS Elastic Beanstalk benefit from the ability to control and manage the application environment in a granular manner.  Additionally, if businesses don’t want to worry about aspects such as provisioning and load balancing, AWS Elastic Beanstalk can manage those aspects of the environment automatically.

AWS Lambda allows businesses to run code in a serverless environment, so management requirements are minimal.  Lambda can also integrate with other tools that can trigger functions in AWS Lambda, or applications that can make function calls to code in Lambda.  For businesses that want to run code without worrying about managing servers or the codes environment, AWS Lambda is a great choice.

Limitations

Though AWS Elastic Beanstalk and AWS Lambda can be used together, and both simplify cloud computing, they also have some limitations that are important to consider.

AWS Elastic Beanstalk provides some automation features and allows for customization of the application environment, but it is difficult to use it as a “set it and forget it” tool.  In contrast, AWS Lambda is a serverless environment with minimal management requirements, so users can run code without worrying about the environment.  AWS Elastic Beanstalk is best for businesses that need a robust computing platform.

AWS Lambda allows users to easily run code in a serverless environment, but it doesn’t include as many options for customizing the environment.  For businesses looking for a flexible platform that they can manage however they want, AWS Elastic Beanstalk may be preferred.  Additionally, while Lambda is a good choice for pieces of code that applications will call, AWS Elastic Beanstalk is more usable for fully featured application deployment.

Pricing

AWS Elastic Beanstalk pricing is entirely dependent on what AWS resources are used in the environment.  For example, using more storage buckets will increase AWS Elastic Beanstalk pricing.

AWS Lambda is priced depending on the amount of memory used and the amount of requests made.  Businesses can expect AWS Lambda pricing to start at $0.20 per million requests.