Blockchain as a Service Cost Comparison AWS vs GCP vs Azure
Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) provides users with the ability to create and manage blockchain networks without the need to deploy and maintain their own infrastructure. This streamlines development and deployment of applications, allowing businesses to focus on their core competencies.
In this article, we compare the pricing of BaaS offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure.
AWS
AWS offers BaaS through its Amazon Managed Blockchain (AMB) service. AMB supports two blockchain frameworks: Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric.
AMB pricing is based on the number of nodes (both peer and member nodes) in the network, and the network type:
- Standard: $0.30 per node-hour
- High-scale: $0.60 per node-hour
AWS also charges $0.10 per million writes or $0.01 per million reads.
GCP
Google Cloud Platform offers BaaS through its Google Cloud Blockchain service, which supports Hyperledger Fabric framework.
GCP charges based on the number of nodes (both peer and member nodes) in the network, and the data storage size:
- Peer node: $0.30 per hour
- Member node: $0.10 per hour
- Data storage: $0.30 per GB/month
GCP does not charge for transactions.
Azure
Azure offers BaaS through its Azure Blockchain Service, which supports Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric frameworks.
Azure Blockchain Service pricing is based on the number of nodes (both peer and member nodes) in the network and the network type:
- Dev/Test: $0.01 per node-hour
- Basic: $0.15 per node-hour
- Standard: $0.45 per node-hour
- Premium: $1.50 per node-hour
Azure also charges for the following add-ons:
- Transaction Nodes: $0.20 per node-hour
- Data Storage: $0.20 per GB/month
Pricing Comparison
*Assuming 720 hours of operation per month
Based on the pricing table above, we can see that GCP's blockchain services have the lowest price points, while Azure charges the highest amount. AWS lies in between GCP and Azure, charging on average slightly higher than GCP.
Conclusion
When it comes to BaaS pricing, GCP offers the most affordable options followed by AWS, and Azure is the most expensive. However, it would be unfair to choose a specific provider based on pricing alone, as each provider offers different features, support, and service levels that may be more beneficial to certain users.
As such, it's essential to consider various factors such as security, reliability, scalability, and ease of implementation before selecting a provider for your blockchain services.