AWS vs. OpenStack | Which Cloud Platform is Right for You?

The debate over public vs. private cloud has been a longstanding topic. Despite the availability of corresponding technologies and solutions, enterprises are still confused about which platform best meets their flexibility requirements. One of the key advantages of a cloud platform is the ability to rapidly provision computing, networking, and storage resources upon request and just as quickly decommission them when no longer needed. Among the many public cloud providers, Amazon holds the largest market share, surpassing Google, Microsoft, and others. In the private cloud sector, OpenStack provides users with a viable solution.  

Introduction to AWS Cloud Platform  

Amazon Web Services (AWS), launched by Amazon in 2006, is the world's leading cloud computing platform, offering over 200 comprehensive cloud services covering computing, storage, databases, machine learning, artificial intelligence, IoT, and security. AWS employs a globally distributed infrastructure spanning 31 geographic regions and 99 availability zones, allowing enterprises to flexibly deploy applications with low-latency access. Its core advantage lies in its elasticity and scalability, enabling users to pay on demand and avoid upfront hardware investments, while catering to diverse needs from startups to large enterprises.  

AWS's core services include EC2, S3, Lambda, and RDS, alongside continuous innovations like SageMaker (machine learning) and Outposts (hybrid cloud). The platform ensures data privacy through high-standard security measures such as ISO certification and SOC compliance, while automation tools and a vast partner ecosystem empower enterprises to quickly build, deploy, and manage applications. According to Gartner reports, AWS has consistently held a one-third share of the global public cloud market, setting the benchmark for cloud computing and digital transformation.  

The Rise and Growth of OpenStack  

In July 2010, RackSpace and NASA contributed code from the RackSpace Cloud Files platform and NASA’s Nebula platform, respectively, leading to the birth of OpenStack. As a follower of AWS, OpenStack shares a similar design philosophy, with core components including Nova, Swift, Keystone, Dashboard, Cinder, Neutron, and Glance. These components work together to provide users with computing, networking, and storage resources.  

The DIY nature of OpenStack gained significant traction, and its concepts and APIs closely resemble those of AWS. Users can seamlessly migrate applications from AWS to an OpenStack-based cloud platform. IT giants such as IBM and HP have launched their public cloud platforms based on OpenStack. Beyond serving as an AWS alternative in the public cloud space, OpenStack has also broken VMware's monopoly in the private cloud virtualization market. Cloud computing engineers worldwide have embraced OpenStack, fostering a robust industry ecosystem around it.  

Comparison Between OpenStack and AWS  

Each public cloud provider has its own terminology. For instance, computing resources or instances in AWS are called EC2, whereas in OpenStack, they are referred to as Nova instances. Developers familiar with one cloud provider often need a reference table to understand various terminologies. There is a table that maps OpenStack services to more familiar AWS concepts.   

Using automobiles as an analogy, cloud platform components resemble car parts. OpenStack is like a system where all the individual components are defined, such as tires, allowing users to choose from a variety of options. If you want a complete car, you must select each part, assemble them yourself, optimize their performance, and ensure compatibility. OpenStack provides all the necessary components, and everything depends on your technical expertise. Using OpenStack means you need a strong technical team for support.  

AWS, on the other hand, is like renting a fully assembled smart car. You don’t need to worry about how the engine is built, how the tires fit, or even hire a professional driver—the steering wheel, accelerator, and navigation system are highly automated. You can select different models (sports car, SUV, or truck) as needed and pay based on hours or mileage. If you need more seats or cargo space, you can expand with a simple click. Maintenance, part upgrades, and road optimization are all handled by the leasing company, allowing you to focus solely on driving to your destination.  

Key Differences Between OpenStack and AWS  

The competition between OpenStack and AWS in the cloud computing market is primarily reflected in the following areas:  

Openness vs. Proprietary System: OpenStack is an open-source project that supports various hardware and software platforms, whereas AWS is a proprietary system where users can only choose from AWS-provided services. This proprietary nature gives AWS advantages in integration and consistency but limits user freedom.  

Community vs. Brand: OpenStack has a vast community of supporters, including vendors and developers, giving it an edge in innovation and adaptability. AWS, however, relies on Amazon’s brand influence and market position to provide high availability and stability.  

Hybrid Cloud vs. Public Cloud: OpenStack primarily focuses on hybrid cloud, integrating private and public clouds to meet a broader range of enterprise needs. AWS, while offering some hybrid cloud solutions, primarily focuses on public cloud services.  

Multi-Tenancy vs. Single-Tenancy: OpenStack supports multi-tenancy, allowing different users to have their own virtual private clouds on the same cloud platform, improving resource utilization and flexibility. AWS mainly adopts a single-tenant model, where each user has an independent cloud environment, ensuring data security and isolation.  

Hybrid Solutions for Disaster Recovery  

After delving into the architectural differences and applicable scenarios between AWS and OpenStack, it becomes evident that whether opting for the efficiency of public cloud hosting or the autonomy of private clouds, enterprises must confront challenges in unified management and data protection within hybrid multi-cloud environments. Against this backdrop, Vinchin, as a professional cross-platform disaster recovery solution provider, offers critical support for enterprises' cloud-native transformation.  

Vinchin specializes in delivering intelligent data protection services for virtualization and cloud environments. Its core product, Vinchin Backup & Recovery, supports over a dozen cloud platforms and virtualization architectures including AWS(EC2, S3), OpenStack, VMware, Hyper-V, XenServer, and Proxmox. Through technological innovations such as agentless backup, instant recovery, and encrypted transmission, it helps enterprises achieve unified disaster recovery management across environments. The solution excels in handling large-scale VM migration, ransomware defense, and minute-level service recovery scenarios. Currently, Vinchin serves tens of thousands of enterprise users across more than 120 countries and regions worldwide, covering key industries such as finance, healthcare, and education, establishing itself as an indispensable data security foundation in hybrid environments.

It's quite easy to backup VMs/instances with Vinchin Backup & Recovery:

1. Select the backup object.

2. Select backup destination.

3. Configure backup strategies.

4. Review and submit the job.

Whether protecting data in the cloud or on-premises, Vinchin Backup & Recovery ensures businesses can recover swiftly and efficiently, minimizing downtime and safeguarding against data loss. Here is a full-featured 60-day trial below! Or, contact us with your requirements, and you will receive a tailored solution for your IT landscape.

OpenStack AWS FAQs

1. Is OpenStack same as Kubernetes?

No, OpenStack and Kubernetes are not the same. OpenStack is an open-source cloud infrastructure platform that provides IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) by managing compute, storage, and networking resources. Kubernetes, on the other hand, is a container orchestration platform designed to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. While OpenStack can be used to create VMs, Kubernetes runs on top of infrastructure (including OpenStack) to manage containers efficiently.

2. Is OpenStack similar to VMware?

OpenStack and VMware both provide cloud and virtualization solutions, but VMware is a proprietary, enterprise-focused virtualization platform, while OpenStack is an open-source cloud infrastructure platform. VMware offers a more user-friendly, integrated ecosystem, whereas OpenStack provides flexibility and cost savings but requires more technical expertise.

Conclusion

The boundaries of cloud computing technology are rapidly expanding, with the binary opposition between public and private clouds gradually being replaced by a "borderless cloud" collaboration model. As hybrid architectures, edge computing, and AI-native applications proliferate, enterprises’ expectations for cloud platforms have shifted from basic resource provisioning to intelligent global orchestration capabilities. Future cloud computing will emerge from the convergence of openness and innovation, ultimately defining new heights for enterprises in harnessing computing power.