AWS Or Azure? Which Cloud Platform Should I Choose In 2024?
Which certification should I pursue: AWS or Azure? This is a common question among many IT Professionals. The choice between Azure and AWS isn’t merely about learning a technology; it’s about shaping your career trajectory.
Let’s dissect the factors influencing this decision:
👉 Market Share Comparison
AWS has long dominated the cloud market (Still is). Its maturity, extensive service catalog, and early adoption by startups and enterprises contribute to its stronghold.
Azure, leveraging its tight integration with Microsoft tools, might seem less complex for organizations already entrenched in the Microsoft ecosystem.
👉 Ease of Learning
When it comes to ease of learning, both platforms offer comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and certifications. AWS, with its vast service offerings, might seem slightly more complex at the outset. However, Azure’s familiarity for those already versed in Microsoft technologies can offer a smoother learning curve.
👉 Integration & Ease of Application Development
AWS offers more features and configurations, providing greater flexibility, power, and customization with support for integrating numerous third-party tools. There are several common third-party tools that support both AWS and Azure, such as Terraform.
From the perspective of application developers, AWS has broader support for various programming languages compared to Azure for interacting with its services.
Azure SDKs/Tools: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/downloads
AWS SDKs/Tools: https://aws.amazon.com/developer/tools
👉 Current Opportunities
AWS’s long-standing dominance has led to a robust job market with numerous opportunities across industries. Azure, gaining traction, particularly in enterprises, presents promising opportunities, especially for those skilled in Microsoft technologies.
👉 Future Aspects
Both Azure and AWS are projected to continue growing as cloud adoption increases globally. While AWS’s market share remains substantial, Azure’s integration with Microsoft’s extensive suite of tools hints at potential growth opportunities in enterprise-focused roles. As compared to GCP, Azure adoption is increasing in rapid rate.
👉 Certification Details
Certification path for both AWS and Azure is kinda same ie, Foundational, Associate, Professional, and Specialty/Expert.
Below are more details on certifications exams:
AWS
- Validity : Certification through AWS is valid for three years from the date it was earned. Before the three-year period expires, you must re-certify to keep your certification current and active.
- Cost : AWS Foundational exams are $100, Associate ones are $150 and all the rest are $300.
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is entry level certification.
- Retakes : If you fail an exam, you must wait 14 days before you are eligible to retake the exam. There is no limit on exam attempts. However, you must pay the full registration fee for each exam attempt.
Microsoft Azure
- Validity : Azure certifications are valid for one year (excluding Fundamental level certification which do not have expiry as of now), but they can be renewed online for free.
- Cost : For Azure exams, $99 for the Fundamentals and then, $165 all of the rest.
- AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals is entry level certification.
- Retakes : If you don’t pass an exam the first time, you must wait 24 hours before retaking it, A 14-day waiting period is imposed between all subsequent attempts (up to 5). You may not take a given exam more than five (5) times within a 12-month period from the first attempt.
Resources for getting you started with certification journey:
AWS Skillbuilder — https://skillbuilder.aws
Microsoft Azure — https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/azure
💡My Thoughts💡
- Number of services which AWS currently offering is much more than any of the other cloud service providers which could increase learning complexity (I must say AWS has the best documentation and Video courses).
- Although AWS is leading in cloud service domain there is shortage of Azure-proficient professionals, presenting a favorable opportunity.
- If you are already experienced working with Microsoft ecosystem then Azure should undoubtedly be your preferred choice.
What are your thoughts on choosing between Azure and AWS for DevOps and software development? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below!
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