Heroku vs AWS
When it comes to deploying web applications, two popular cloud hosting platforms stand out - Heroku and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Both of these platforms offer robust infrastructure, scalability and advanced features to help developers create and manage their applications. In this post, we’ll compare the user experience provided by Heroku and AWS to help you choose the right platform for your business.
User Interface (UI)
Heroku provides an excellent user interface. The web interface is clean, tidy, and user-friendly, making it easy for developers to create, deploy and manage their applications. The navigation is simple and straightforward, providing easy access to resources like logs, metrics, and add-ons. Overall, the Heroku UI makes the deployment process quick and effortless, especially for beginners.
AWS, on the other hand, is known for its complex interface. While AWS offers extensive customization options, the platform's user interface is not easy to navigate, especially for novice developers. The AWS console is cluttered, and developers often get lost in a maze of options. The platform provides useful features such as alarms and notifications, but they can be difficult to set up.
Winner: Heroku
Pricing
Pricing is a critical factor when choosing a cloud hosting platform. Heroku has a straightforward pricing model, with no upfront costs or lock-in periods. The platform charges based on the number of resources you use and offers a free tier for personal projects. This model makes Heroku a perfect choice for startups and small businesses that don't have deep pockets.
AWS offers a unique pricing model that requires a lot more knowledge of the AWS platform to use effectively. AWS pricing varies based on the services you use, how long you run instances, and other factors. While AWS does offer a free tier, it is not as flexible as Heroku's free tier, and you can quickly exceed the allocated resources, leading to surprise bills.
Winner: Heroku
Performance
Performance is a critical consideration when choosing a cloud hosting platform. Heroku uses a multi-tenant architecture, meaning that multiple applications share computing resources. This architecture can lead to slow performance, especially during peak traffic. Heroku provides add-ons such as caching to improve performance, but these features come with additional costs.
AWS uses a dedicated infrastructure, meaning that every application runs on its own server. This architecture eliminates the performance issues that come with multi-tenant architecture, making AWS a perfect choice for high traffic applications. AWS also provides add-ons such as elastic load balancers to manage traffic, and has a reputation for excellent performance.
Winner: AWS
Support
Support is crucial when it comes to managing your cloud infrastructure. Heroku offers excellent customer support, with responsive email and chat support options. The platform provides extensive documentation, tutorials, and community forums, making it easy for developers to get the help they need.
AWS also provides extensive documentation and excellent support options. With AWS, you can access support through phone, chat, email, and in-person consultations. AWS has a reputation for providing high-quality support, but the support services can be costly.
Winner: Tie
Conclusion
Both Heroku and AWS are popular cloud hosting platforms, but they provide a different user experience. Heroku is easy to use, affordable, and provides excellent support options, making it an excellent choice for developing and deploying simple applications. AWS, on the other hand, offers better performance, flexibility, and advanced features, making it an ideal choice for complex, high-traffic applications. Ultimately, the choice between Heroku and AWS depends on the intended use-case, and developers should weigh the options based on their needs.