Amazon EC2 Container Service vs Google Kubernetes Engine vs Orchard

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Amazon EC2 Container Service

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Google Kubernetes Engine

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Amazon EC2 Container Service vs Google Kubernetes Engine vs Orchard: What are the differences?

Introduction

When choosing a container management platform, important factors to consider are Amazon EC2 Container Service (ECS), Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), and Orchard. Each offers unique features and capabilities that cater to different needs and requirements.

  1. Deployment and Scaling Automation: Amazon ECS provides a simplified way to manage containerized applications, focusing on ease of deployment and scaling through its integrated services. GKE, on the other hand, uses Kubernetes to orchestrate containerized applications, offering advanced automation capabilities and efficient scaling based on workload requirements. Orchard, as a managed Kubernetes service, combines the scalability of Kubernetes with the simplicity of a fully managed platform, providing a streamlined deployment and scaling process for users.

  2. Service Integration and Ecosystem: Amazon ECS seamlessly integrates with other AWS services, making it ideal for users already using the AWS ecosystem. GKE, on the other hand, offers a robust ecosystem from Google Cloud, along with seamless integration with Google Cloud services. Orchard provides a similar level of integration with Azure services, making it suitable for users leveraging the Microsoft Azure ecosystem.

  3. Pricing and Cost Management: Amazon ECS follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model and offers cost optimization tools to help users manage expenses effectively. GKE also adopts a pay-as-you-go model, with transparent pricing structures and cost management features. Orchard, as a managed Kubernetes service, offers competitive pricing plans that include built-in cost management tools, catering to users seeking cost-efficient container management solutions.

  4. Ease of Use and User Interface: Amazon ECS provides a user-friendly interface with simple configuration options, making it suitable for beginners and users unfamiliar with container management. GKE offers a more robust interface with advanced configuration settings, catering to experienced users looking for flexibility and customization. Orchard combines a user-friendly interface with advanced capabilities, striking a balance between simplicity and functionality to accommodate users with varying levels of expertise.

  5. Security and Compliance Features: Amazon ECS offers robust security features and compliance options, aligning with AWS's stringent security standards and certifications. GKE provides a secure and compliant environment through Google's advanced security measures and regulatory certifications. Orchard ensures secure container orchestration by implementing Azure's security protocols and compliance standards, offering users a secure platform to run their workloads.

  6. Support and Documentation: Amazon ECS offers comprehensive documentation and support services through AWS, providing users with resources to troubleshoot issues and optimize their containerized applications. GKE provides extensive documentation and support from Google Cloud, offering users guidance on setting up and managing Kubernetes clusters effectively. Orchard offers dedicated support and resources through Microsoft Azure, assisting users in leveraging the platform's features for container management.

In Summary, Amazon ECS, Google Kubernetes Engine, and Orchard differ in their deployment automation, service ecosystems, pricing models, user interfaces, security features, and support offerings, catering to diverse user needs in container management.

Decisions about Amazon EC2 Container Service, Google Kubernetes Engine, and Orchard
Vladyslav Holubiev
Sr. Directory of Technology at Shelf · | 5 upvotes · 7.2K views

Back in 2018, we were running microservices in the ECS cluster by managing EC2 instances ourselves. It involved lots of toil work.

Without Fargate we had to maintain & monitor a pool of spot instances, choose the right size of instances, keep OS up-to-date, etc.

We want to ship features, not to manage servers. That's why as soon as AWS Fargate was announced, we migrated our microservices to this managed service. The only configuration you need is Docker image, RAM & CPU resources. The rest of the heavy lifting is taken care of by Fargate, which is wonderful.

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Andres Paredes
Lead Senior Software Engineer at InTouch Technology · | 3 upvotes · 84.1K views

If you want to integrate your cluster and control end to end your pipeline with AWS tools like ECR and Code Pipeline your best option is ECS using a EC2 instance. There are pros and cons but it's easier to integrate using cloud formation templates and visual UI for approvals, etc. ECS is free, you need to pay only for the EC2 instance but unfortunately, it is not standard then you cannot use standard tools to see and manage your Kubernetes. EKS in the other hand uses standard Kubernates definitions but you need to pay for the service and also for the EC2 instance(s) you have in your cluster.

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Pros of Amazon EC2 Container Service
Pros of Google Kubernetes Engine
Pros of Orchard
  • 100
    Backed by amazon
  • 72
    Familiar to ec2
  • 53
    Cluster based
  • 42
    Simple API
  • 26
    Iam roles
  • 7
    Scheduler
  • 7
    Cluster management
  • 7
    Programmatic Control
  • 4
    Container-enabled applications
  • 4
    Socker support
  • 2
    No additional cost
  • 1
    Easy to use and cheap
  • 17
    Backed by Google
  • 17
    Powered by kubernetes
  • 12
    Docker
  • 11
    Scalable
  • 6
    Open source
  • 2
    Command line interface is intuitive
  • 2
    Decoupled app
  • 1
    Provisioning
  • 1
    Declarative management
    Be the first to leave a pro

    Sign up to add or upvote prosMake informed product decisions

    What is Amazon EC2 Container Service?

    Amazon EC2 Container Service lets you launch and stop container-enabled applications with simple API calls, allows you to query the state of your cluster from a centralized service, and gives you access to many familiar Amazon EC2 features like security groups, EBS volumes and IAM roles.

    What is Google Kubernetes Engine?

    Container Engine takes care of provisioning and maintaining the underlying virtual machine cluster, scaling your application, and operational logistics like logging, monitoring, and health management.

    What is Orchard?

    Use Docker to run anything you can think of in 2 seconds flat without having to setup or manage servers.

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      What are some alternatives to Amazon EC2 Container Service, Google Kubernetes Engine, and Orchard?
      Kubernetes
      Kubernetes is an open source orchestration system for Docker containers. It handles scheduling onto nodes in a compute cluster and actively manages workloads to ensure that their state matches the users declared intentions.
      Amazon EKS
      Amazon Elastic Container Service for Kubernetes (Amazon EKS) is a managed service that makes it easy for you to run Kubernetes on AWS without needing to install and operate your own Kubernetes clusters.
      AWS Fargate
      AWS Fargate is a technology for Amazon ECS and EKS* that allows you to run containers without having to manage servers or clusters. With AWS Fargate, you no longer have to provision, configure, and scale clusters of virtual machines to run containers.
      Azure Kubernetes Service
      Deploy and manage containerized applications more easily with a fully managed Kubernetes service. It offers serverless Kubernetes, an integrated continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) experience, and enterprise-grade security and governance. Unite your development and operations teams on a single platform to rapidly build, deliver, and scale applications with confidence.
      Hyper
      Hyper.sh is a secure container hosting service. What makes it different from AWS (Amazon Web Services) is that you don't start servers, but start docker images directly from Docker Hub or other registries.
      See all alternatives