I am thinking about deploying a service (Java+Tomcat+MySQL) running in a VM on cloud. Since I have never done it before, I googled the Web for the prices on AWS, Azure and Telstra. I am looking at a general-purpose VM running Linux. For similar specs on the vCPU/memory/storage, Telstra Virtual Server (shared) monthly plan costs about twice as much as AWS and Azure.
Is there any good reasons to go with Telstra Cloud Services? Would appreciate any advice. Thanks.
/WT
A lot of the tech podcasts I listen to do ads for Linode - thoughts on them? (mainly asking as I noticed you only mentioned the big 3)
I have been a Linode customer since 2007 and at one stage OzBargain was hosted on Linode. Our Singapore site is currently hosted with Linode in Singapore, and I can definitely recommend them. However they are not comparable to the big 3 in terms of number of services they provide.
Linode is more than enough for a VM running Java+Tomcat+MySQL though, but the same also applies to many other unmanaged VPS providers. For Australian servers we now use BinaryLane.
Thanks!
Wouldnt even bother with Telstra. Stick with either big 3x for public cloud. They are used by the world and provide great features and good for career development if you ever go down this path
Not answering the question but have you looked at DigitalOcean or Vultr if you just need a Linux VM? These can be around $5 for starters (or $3.5 for even lower spec if you are lucky to find one)
Go with AWS/Azure if you want more advanced features like auto-scaling or self-managed cloud databases but these larger cloud providers would usually cost more.
May be GCP Free tier is enough for your application as a start to cloud ?
I would avoid Telstra because they are probably just reselling off AWS or something.
If you are new to this, I would look at another virtual server provider like Digital Ocean or Vultr. AWS is great, but can be a bit costly.
For single server, go with DigitalOcean or Vultr. Much easier and fixed price unlike AWS, Azure, GCP where you are charged for utility.
AWS, Azure, GCP is great for scaling out but it comes at bigger complexity which you don't need right now.
I wouldn't use Telstra. They have no reputation in this space.
Thanks Lubos and others for the useful info.
I'll just need a single server in a VM. I headed to DigitalOcean to try out its price calculator for a general purpose Droplet configuration, suprisingly Google Cloud turns out to be the cheapest ($49/month) among DigitalOcean/AWS/Azure/GC. For a similar configuration, Vultr is at $40/month vs DigitalOcean's $60/month.
Did you include bandwidth? Google Cloud charges around 20 cents per GB - that's on top of your $49/month. This is what I mean when I say you are charged for utility.
Digital Ocean and Vultr already include several TBs in its monthly price.
Oh, I took that out of DigitalOcean's calculator. DigitalOcean includes 4TB for the monthly fee. Looks like DigitalOcean's calculator doesn't itself any favour :) Thank you for the heads-up!
BTW, do you know if they all provide static IP's so that front-end terminal and mobile app can easily connect to the backend server?
DigitalOcean's US$60/month is their "General Purpose Droplets" that have dedicated CPU rather than shared. Their Basic Droplets is more comparable to Vultr's, which is US$40/month (~A$51.27) for "Regular Intel with SSD" with 8GB RAM, 160GB SSD + 4TB transfer. Moreover, DigitalOcean does not have Australian data centre, which means there will be high latency between your home/office and your VM. Vultr on the other hand can deploy a VM in Sydney.
Meanwhile, BinaryLane's equivalent VM costs A$33/month (inc GST) with 8GB RAM, 100GB SSD & 4TB transfer, and VMs can be deployed in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
Unless you really need a proper cloud platform, have a look at a vps with Quantum Core or Binary Lane (my two favourite Australian providers). At the sacrifice of flexibility and PAAS/SAAS solutions (lambda, load balancing) you will get much better performance and value.
Nope. I guess unless your business has already heavily invested in Telstra's infrastructure.
AWS, Azure and GCP are pretty much the gold standard in cloud computing these days. However if you are only looking for renting a general purpose virtual server, there are many cheaper deals around.