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AWS Lambda vs Google Cloud Dataflow comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

AWS Lambda
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
83
Ranking in other categories
Compute Service (1st)
Google Cloud Dataflow
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
Streaming Analytics (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

AWS Lambda and Google Cloud Dataflow aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. AWS Lambda is designed for Compute Service and holds a mindshare of 21.0%, down 23.2% compared to last year.
Google Cloud Dataflow, on the other hand, focuses on Streaming Analytics, holds 7.4% mindshare, up 7.0% since last year.
Compute Service
Streaming Analytics
 

Featured Reviews

Wai L Lin O - PeerSpot reviewer
A serverless solution with easy integration features
We use AWS Lambda because it provides a solution for our needs without requiring us to manage our infrastructure. With the tool, we only pay for the resources we use. Additionally, it is straightforward to implement and integrates with other services like API Gateway. The tool's serverless nature has had the most significant impact on our workflow. I find it particularly attractive because it eliminates the need for managing servers. In my previous experience, managing upgrades and updates was quite challenging. The solution's integration process with other AWS services was relatively easy. We primarily use AWS services such as EventBridge for scheduling processes and log management.
Jana Polianskaja - PeerSpot reviewer
Build Scalable Data Pipelines with Apache Beam and Google Cloud Dataflow
As a data engineer, I find several features of Google Cloud Dataflow particularly valuable. The ability to test solutions locally using Direct Runner is crucial for development, allowing me to validate pipelines without incurring the costs of full Dataflow jobs. The unified programming model for both batch and streaming processing is exceptional - requiring only minor code adjustments to optimize for either mode. This flexibility extends to language support, with robust implementations in both Java and Python, allowing teams to leverage their existing expertise. The platform's comprehensive monitoring capabilities are another standout feature. The intuitive interface, Grafana integration, and extensive service connectivity make troubleshooting and performance tracking highly efficient. Furthermore, seamless integration with Google Cloud Composer (managed Airflow) enables sophisticated orchestration of data pipelines.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Provides a good, easy path from when you're using an AWS cluster."
"Lambda being serverless is a great feature that is appropriate for our use cases."
"The solution offers good performance."
"AWS Lambda is serverless."
"It's a fairly easy solution to learn."
"Lambda is the preferred compute option because of on-demand cost. We don't have to provision any hardware beforehand. We don't have to provision the capacity required for the services because it is serverless."
"It is my preferred product, as it provides me with source code within the solution."
"They have the built-in IDE, so everything happens without integration issues."
"The support team is good and it's easy to use."
"The most valuable features of Google Cloud Dataflow are the integration, it's very simple if you have the complete stack, which we are using. It is overall very easy to use, user-friendly friendly, and cost-effective if you know how to use it. The solution is very flexible for programmers, if you know how to do scripts or program in Python or any other language, it's extremely easy to use."
"It is a scalable solution."
"I would rate the overall solution a ten out of ten."
"The integration within Google Cloud Platform is very good."
"I don't need a server running all the time while using the tool. It is also easy to setup. The product offers a pay-as-you-go service."
"The solution allows us to program in any language we desire."
"The service is relatively cheap compared to other batch-processing engines."
 

Cons

"It currently requires manual user maintenance to upgrade and evaluate, and an automated provision for this would be beneficial."
"AWS Lambda could improve by having no-code or low-code options because currently, you need to be able to write code well to use it."
"It could be cheaper."
"AWS Lambda has a limitation where the execution time is capped at 15 minutes per task. Increasing this time would allow for handling heavier tasks more efficiently."
"The tool changes its UI every month which is very frustrating for me. I don’t know why AWS keeps changing the UI. They can’t stick to a specific one"
"We've had to revamp the way that it works due to that 15-minute timeout limitation."
"I have seen some drawbacks with certain integrations."
"It can be a bit difficult to switch between accounts when creating services for customers."
"Occasionally, dealing with a huge volume of data causes failure due to array size."
"There are certain challenges regarding the Google Cloud Composer which can be improved."
"When I deploy the product in local errors, a lot of errors pop up which are not always caught. The solution's error logging is bad. It can take a lot of time to debug the errors. It needs to have better logs."
"The authentication part of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"Google Cloud Data Flow can improve by having full simple integration with Kafka topics. It's not that complicated, but it could improve a bit. The UI is easy to use but the experience could be better. There are other tools available that do a better job."
"Google Cloud Dataflow should include a little cost optimization."
"The solution's setup process could be more accessible."
"Promoting the technology more broadly would help increase its adoption."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is expensive and is based on usage. The more users you have the higher the cost."
"I think the price is okay. However, if they add more functionality, they can have better prices. In fact, they should have better and more flexible packages for clients who have greater consumption of Lambda."
"The pricing varies based on the specific solution you're implementing, and in comparison to the value it provides, the overall cost is reasonable."
"The solution is free of cost for the first year, and after that, it becomes expensive."
"AWS Lambda is a very inexpensive solution. They charge for the number of times we run it. If you run AWS Lambda for one time, they charge around 50 cents or 25 cents for the use. I don't know the exact price, but it's less than a dollar."
"Lambda is a good and cheap solution and I would recommend it to those without a huge payload."
"The price of the solution is reasonable."
"The solution is part of the AWS subscription model that is paid annually."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight out of ten."
"The tool is cheap."
"The solution is not very expensive."
"Google Cloud is slightly cheaper than AWS."
"The price of the solution depends on many factors, such as how they pay for tools in the company and its size."
"Google Cloud Dataflow is a cheap solution."
"The solution is cost-effective."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate Google Cloud Dataflow's pricing a four out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
70%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
4%
Manufacturing Company
3%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Retailer
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which is better, AWS Lambda or Batch?
AWS Lambda is a serverless solution. It doesn’t require any infrastructure, which allows for cost savings. There is no setup process to deal with, as the entire solution is in the cloud. If you use...
What do you like most about AWS Lambda?
The tool scales automatically based on the number of incoming requests.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS Lambda?
AWS Lambda is cheaper compared to running an instance continuously. You only pay for what you use, making it cost-effective.
What do you like most about Google Cloud Dataflow?
The product's installation process is easy...The tool's maintenance part is somewhat easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Cloud Dataflow?
Google Cloud Dataflow costs are primarily driven by compute resources (worker type and count) and data volume. However, other factors like pipeline complexity also contribute significantly to the t...
What needs improvement with Google Cloud Dataflow?
Apache Beam represents a powerful data processing solution that deserves wider recognition in the broader tech community. This technology offers remarkable capabilities for handling data at scale, ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Google Dataflow
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Netflix
Absolutdata, Backflip Studios, Bluecore, Claritics, Crystalloids, Energyworx, GenieConnect, Leanplum, Nomanini, Redbus, Streak, TabTale
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