AWS ↔ Azure ↔ GCP — Service Equivalents — Free Mind Map

Visual cross-cloud Rosetta Stone — compute, storage, databases, identity, networking, and AI services mapped across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

The classic cross-cloud chart. EC2/VM/Compute Engine. S3/Blob/Cloud Storage. Lambda/Functions/Cloud Functions. Six service families on one map.

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AWS ↔ Azure ↔ GCP — Service Equivalents — Free Mind Map
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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do AWS, Azure, and GCP all use 'VPC' but mean different things?

Azure calls its virtual network a VNet (Virtual Network); AWS and GCP both call theirs VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) — but the implementations differ. AWS VPC is per-region with subnets in availability zones. GCP VPC is GLOBAL — one VPC spans all regions. Azure VNet is per-region with subnets in zones. So 'I'll just create a VPC' has different scope implications on each cloud. The terminology overlap is genuinely confusing.

Are these services truly equivalent or just similar?

Similar, not identical. EC2 and VMs and Compute Engine all run virtual machines, but pricing models, instance types, AMIs/images, and networking differ. The mapping is good enough for 'where would I put X on the other cloud' planning, but not for cost or feature equivalence — always check the specific docs once you've picked a target. The map is a navigation aid, not a contract.

What about services that have no equivalent?

Each cloud has signature services without a direct cross-cloud counterpart. AWS: Step Functions (workflow orchestration), CloudFormation (IaC). Azure: Logic Apps (workflow), Bicep (IaC), and the M365 integration that Azure has but AWS/GCP don't. GCP: BigQuery's serverless analytics model, Anthos (multi-cloud Kubernetes). When migrating, plan to refactor those into the target cloud's idioms rather than seek 1:1 mappings.

Which is the best to learn first if I'm new to cloud?

Pick based on job market in your region. AWS has the largest market share globally and the most jobs. Azure dominates enterprise and Microsoft-shop accounts (where most M365 users sit) — strong job market for IT pros. GCP is smaller but pays well, with concentration in data/ML roles. If you have an existing Microsoft career, Azure is the natural extension. If you're starting fresh, AWS has more entry-level material, and the concepts transfer 70-80% to the others — the mental model maps over.