Load Balancer Comparison - AWS ELB vs. Google Cloud Load Balancing
Welcome to our comparison of AWS Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) and Google Cloud Load Balancing. Both these services aim to deliver high availability, scalability, and performance for applications, and help distribute incoming traffic evenly among resources for optimal use.
Here’s our unbiased comparison of the two services, so you can choose the load balancer best suited to your business needs.
Types of Load Balancers
AWS offers the following three types of load balancers -
1. Application Load Balancer (ALB)
ALB is a Layer 7 load balancer, which means it can route requests based on application-level criteria, such as content or URL path. ALB can handle millions of requests, support HTTP/2, WebSockets, and use SSL/TLS offloading to perform encryption and decryption of incoming traffic.
2. Network Load Balancer (NLB)
NLB is a Layer 4 load balancer, which means it can route requests based on IP address and TCP/UDP port. NLB can handle millions of requests per second, with ultra-low latencies, and support both TCP and UDP protocols.
3. Classic Load Balancer (CLB)
CLB is an older load balancing service offered by AWS. However, it doesn't support the latest features like WebSockets and ALB, and it is recommended to use either ALB or NLB instead of CLB.
Google Cloud Load Balancing also offers the following three types of load balancers -
1. HTTP(S) Load Balancing
HTTP(S) Load Balancing can scale applications by distributing traffic based on HTTP/HTTPS protocols, URL path, or host header, and support SSL offloading to perform encryption and decryption of incoming traffic.
2. Network Load Balancing
Network Load Balancing can handle millions of requests per second and can route traffic to VM instances or container instances based on IP protocols, such as TCP and UDP.
3. Internal Load Balancing
Internal Load Balancing distributes traffic among instances that are only accessible to internal networks within the same Virtual Private Cloud (VPC).
Pricing
The cost for both AWS ELB and Google Cloud Load Balancing vary based on the type of load balancer, traffic, number of instances, and data processed.
For example, Google charges a higher rate for HTTPS traffic than HTTP traffic. Meanwhile, AWS charges separately for each API call, GB transferred, and concurrent connections per hour.
Overall, it’s difficult to compare both services' pricing as it varies based on different metrics.
To give you an idea of pricing differences, let’s take HTTP/HTTPS Load Balancing as an example. On Google Cloud, the cost is $0.025 per GB, whereas on AWS, it’s $0.0225 per GB. However, Google provides a 30% discount for network egress fees with a monthly commitment of $180, which may make it cheaper in some use cases.
Features & Limitations
AWS ELB
Pros
- Offers integration with other AWS services like EC2, Auto Scaling, and Route 53
- Supports IPv6
- Provides control over SSL/TLS certificates and ciphers used for encryption and decryption of traffic
- Allows for customizing of health check configuration
Cons
- Lacks some more advanced features compared to Google Cloud Load Balancing
- Might be overcomplicated for small to medium-sized applications
Google Cloud Load Balancing
Pros
- Supports CDN
- Offers integrated DDoS protection
- Provides more granular control over traffic routing
- Offers a unified user interface across all load balancers
Cons
- Doesn't provide integration with non-Google services
- Has a slightly steeper learning curve for new users
Conclusion
Both AWS ELB and Google Cloud Load Balancing are high-quality cloud load balancers with unique features and pricing models.
AWS ELB is a better option for those using other AWS services, especially in the case of deploying workloads on EC2 instances. Google Cloud Load Balancing, on the other hand, provides more granular control over traffic routing and has better features in terms of security and performance.
It’s always recommended to assess your business’s requirements to make an informed decision.