Cloud Architecture Decision Framework

Find the best architecture for your next project.

Here are a few options, all of similar length: * This tool guides you in choosing the best architecture (Serverless, Containerized Microservices, or Distributed Data Processing) for your project. Answer a few questions to get a personalized recommendation. * Find the ideal architecture: Serverless, Containerized Microservices, or Distributed Data Processing? Answer some questions about your project, and we'll advise you. * Unsure which architecture to use? (Serverless, Microservices, or Distributed Data Processing?) This tool suggests the best fit. Just answer a few questions! * Let us help you select the right architecture: Serverless, Containerized Microservices, or Distributed Data Processing. Answer some questions and receive a custom recommendation.

Architecture At-a-Glance

A general comparison of the three architectures.

Criterion Serverless Containers Distributed Data
Primary Use Case Event-driven tasks, APIs, background jobs Long-running services, web apps, complex APIs Large-scale batch/stream data processing
Scalability Model Automatic, per-request scaling to zero Cluster-based, requires configuration Scales data processing nodes, job-based
Cost Model Pay-per-execution, very cost-effective for sporadic traffic Pay for running instances/nodes (always on) Pay for cluster uptime during jobs
Operational Overhead Very Low (managed by cloud provider) Medium-High (manage containers, orchestrator) Medium (managed services like EMR help)
State Management Stateless by design; requires external DB/cache Can manage state within services or externally Inherently stateful for data processing jobs
Typical Latency Low, but can have cold start delays Consistently low latency for "warm" services High (minutes to hours), not for real-time APIs