Introduction to Alibaba Cloud

What is Alibaba Cloud?

Alibaba Cloud, also known as Aliyun, is the cloud computing division of Alibaba Group, the Chinese e-commerce giant founded by Jack Ma in 1999. Founded in 2009, Alibaba Cloud has quickly gained traction to become a leading service provider cloud globally. Its expansion has been supported by the growing demand for digital services in China and the international expansion of the Alibaba Group, especially after its IPO in 2014. Thanks to continuous investments in research and development and the visionary leadership of Jack Ma and the CEO of Alibaba Cloud, Jeff Zhang, the company has expanded its service offerings.

With a complete range of services that covers the needs of companies of all sizes, Alibaba Cloud presents itself as a valid alternative to cloud infrastructures such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Microsoft Azure. Alibaba Cloud offers computing, storage, networking, database, security, artificial intelligence, big data and IoT solutions, among others. Its global presence is supported by data centers spread across Asia, Europe, America and the Middle East, offering localized services that comply with regional data regulations, such as GDPR in Europe.

Why Consider Alibaba Cloud as an Alternative?

Competitive Prices

One of the main reasons to consider Alibaba Cloud is its competitive pricing model. Alibaba Cloud offers a wide range of pricing plans that can fit different budgets, making it an attractive choice for both small and medium-sized businesses and large corporations. Flexible pricing plans include pay-as-you-go options, prepaid subscriptions and discounts for long-term commitments, allowing businesses to optimize costs based on their specific needs. Additionally, Alibaba Cloud offers cost management tools that help you monitor and control cloud spending, providing detailed reports and suggestions to optimize resource usage. This focus on competitive pricing allows companies to achieve significant value without compromising the quality or performance of cloud services.

Global Presence and Localization

Alibaba Cloud has data centers spread across the world, with a strong presence in Asia, Europe, America and the Middle East. This global network helps reduce latency and improve performance for end users. Alibaba Cloud data centers are designed to ensure high availability and reliability, with geographic redundancy and disaster recovery options that ensure operational continuity of applications. Additionally, data center location can help companies comply with local data regulations, such as GDPR in Europe, by providing data residency solutions that comply with data sovereignty laws. Alibaba Cloud's ability to offer localized services with multilingual support and multiple currencies facilitates companies' international expansion, improving their ability to serve customers across multiple markets.

Innovation and Advanced Technologies

Alibaba Cloud continuously invests in research and development to offer cutting-edge technologies. Its offering includes advanced artificial intelligence, big data, IoT and cybersecurity solutions. These technologies can help companies innovate and improve their operational efficiency. For example, Alibaba Cloud offers machine learning platforms that facilitate the development and deployment of AI models, big data analytics tools that allow you to extract valuable insights from large volumes of data, and IoT solutions that enable management and analysis of devices connected in real time. Additionally, Alibaba Cloud has developed advanced security technologies that protect cloud resources from cyber threats, ensuring compliance with security and privacy regulations. Alibaba Cloud's continuous innovation provides businesses with the tools needed to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Equivalence of Services

Many of the services offered by Alibaba Cloud are equivalent to those provided by AWS, GCP and Azure. For example, Alibaba Cloud's Elastic Compute Service (ECS) is similar to Amazon EC2, and ApsaraDB is comparable to Amazon RDS. This equivalence makes it relatively easy for companies to migrate from other cloud platforms to Alibaba Cloud without having to significantly repurpose their applications and infrastructure. Alibaba Cloud also offers compatibility with various industry standards and APIs, making it easy to integrate with existing systems and third-party applications. Having equivalent services ensures that businesses can enjoy the same functionality and performance they expect from leading cloud providers, with the addition of unique benefits such as local support and solutions customized for the Chinese market. This compatibility and the wide range of available services make Alibaba Cloud a versatile and powerful choice for any company's cloud infrastructure needs.

List of Alibaba Cloud Services

Alibaba Cloud offers a full range of cloud services designed to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, from small start-ups to large corporations. These services cover a wide range of categories, including compute, storage, networking, security, databases, artificial intelligence, and more. The richness and diversity of Alibaba Cloud's offerings enable businesses to build, deploy and manage robust, scalable applications with ease. Below, we explore the main services offered by Alibaba Cloud in detail, with an explanation of each service to understand how they can be used to improve business operations and support digital transformation.

1. Elastic Compute Service (ECS)

ECS is a scalable computing service that allows companies to create, manage and scale virtual instances in the cloud. ECS supports various operating systems, including Windows and Linux, and is designed to provide high performance with low latency. Businesses can choose from different types of instances optimized for compute, memory or storage, depending on their specific needs. ECS also offers advanced features such as automatic instance management, load balancing, and autoscaling options, which allow you to quickly adapt resources to changes in your workload. Additionally, ECS integrates security tools such as firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), and DDoS protection to ensure the safety of your applications and data.

2. ApsaraDB

ApsaraDB is Alibaba Cloud's suite of managed database solutions. Includes services for relational databases (such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server), NoSQL databases (such as MongoDB), and data warehouses. ApsaraDB is designed to provide high availability, autoscaling, and data security. Users can benefit from features such as automatic backup, point-in-time recovery and geo-replication to ensure business continuity and data resilience. ApsaraDB simplifies database management through performance monitoring and tuning tools, allowing companies to focus on their applications rather than infrastructure maintenance. Additionally, ApsaraDB supports integration with other Alibaba Cloud services, making it easy to build complex and scalable applications.

3. Object Storage Service (OSS)

OSS is a scalable, secure storage service that allows businesses to store and access large amounts of unstructured data, such as media files, backups, and application data. OSS ensures high durability and data availability. Thanks to its distributed architecture, OSS offers high resilience and fault tolerance, ensuring that data is always accessible even in the event of hardware failures. Automatic data versioning and replication capabilities further increase security and protection against data loss. OSS also supports a broad set of APIs and SDKs, facilitating integration with different applications and workflows, and offers tiered storage options to optimize costs based on the frequency of data access.

4. Content Delivery Network (CDN)

Alibaba Cloud's CDN accelerates web content delivery by improving performance and reducing latency for end users. The CDN network is composed of numerous globally distributed nodes that cache content closest to users. This distributed approach significantly reduces page load times and improves user experience, especially in geographic regions far from the original server. Alibaba Cloud CDN supports various protocols and content formats, including videos, images, static files and dynamic content, and offers advanced features such as automatic traffic management, load balancing and protection against DDoS attacks. Furthermore, real-time analysis and monitoring tools allow companies to optimize content distribution and quickly respond to any performance issues.

5. Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

VPC allows companies to create isolated virtual networks within the Alibaba Cloud infrastructure. With VPC, you can define subnets, set routing rules, and configure VPN connections to extend your corporate network to the cloud. VPC networks offer granular control over network traffic, allowing you to segment and isolate different portions of the network to improve security and asset management. Companies can use VPC to create separate development, test, and production environments, each with its own security and access rules. Additionally, VPC supports integration with advanced security services such as firewalls and intrusion prevention systems, allowing you to build highly secure and resilient network architectures.

6. Server Load Balancer (SLB)

SLB is a service that automatically distributes network traffic among multiple ECS instances to ensure high availability and reliability of applications. SLB supports both HTTP/HTTPS and TCP/UDP load balancing, allowing you to handle various types of application traffic. With SLB, companies can improve the resiliency of their applications by distributing the workload across multiple servers, avoiding single points of failure. The service also includes monitoring and reporting capabilities, which provide visibility into load balancing performance and allow you to make dynamic adjustments to optimize operational efficiency. SLB can be configured to load balance at the application or network level, providing flexibility for different architectural needs.

7. Alibaba Cloud DNS

Alibaba Cloud DNS is a Domain Name System management service that offers high availability, speed and security in domain name resolution. It supports DNS zone management, load balancing and geographic redundancy. The service is designed to ensure that DNS requests are resolved quickly, improving the speed of access to websites and applications. Alibaba Cloud DNS includes protection features against DDoS attacks and other security threats, ensuring that domains are always protected. Furthermore, geographic redundancy allows DNS requests to be distributed between different data centers, improving resilience and reducing the risk of downtime. Advanced management and reporting tools provide visibility into DNS performance and facilitate domain configuration and maintenance.

8. Cloud Firewall

Cloud Firewall is a security service that protects cloud networks from external and internal threats. Includes access control, intrusion detection and real-time threat prevention capabilities. Cloud Firewall allows you to define granular security rules to control traffic in and out of VPC networks, providing robust protection against cyber attacks. The service uses advanced behavioral analytics technologies to identify and block suspicious activity, ensuring that only legitimate traffic can access cloud resources. Additionally, Cloud Firewall offers visibility and detailed reporting on security events, allowing companies to quickly monitor and respond to threats. Integration with other Alibaba Cloud security services allows you to implement a comprehensive and coordinated security strategy to protect your entire cloud infrastructure.

9. Anti-DDoS

Anti-DDoS is a protection service against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. It uses advanced technologies to detect and mitigate DDoS attacks, ensuring the operational continuity of applications. The service offers multiple modes of protection, including continuous monitoring of network traffic and real-time analysis to identify and neutralize threats before they can cause significant damage. Anti-DDoS is designed to automatically scale in response to the intensity of the attack, ensuring that resources remain available even during massive disruption attempts. Furthermore, the service provides detailed reports on detected attacks and measures taken, allowing companies to constantly improve their security posture.

10. CloudMonitor

CloudMonitor is a cloud resource monitoring and management service. It provides real-time metrics, alarm notifications and detailed reports to help businesses maintain visibility and control over their cloud resources. CloudMonitor supports monitoring of a wide range of resources, including servers, databases, applications, and networks. Users can configure custom alerts to receive immediate notifications in case of anomalies or performance problems. The service also offers analytics tools to identify trends and bottlenecks, facilitating capacity planning and resource optimization. With customizable dashboards, CloudMonitor allows you to easily view the health of your assets in one place, improving operational management and incident response.

11. Resource Access Management (RAM)

RAM is an access management service that allows companies to control who can access cloud resources and what actions can be performed. Supports management of users, groups and access policies. RAM allows you to define granular roles and permissions to assign specific access rights to users or groups, improving security and asset management. Access policies can be easily created and managed through an intuitive console, and support complex scenarios such as temporary or condition-based access. Additionally, RAM integrates auditing and reporting capabilities that track user activity, providing complete visibility into operations performed within the cloud environment. This access management capability helps ensure that only authorized users can access and modify critical resources.

12. Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN)

CEN is a global network that connects a company's VPC and on-premise networks, offering low latency and high reliability. It is designed to support the connection needs of companies with globally distributed operations. CEN allows companies to build an interconnected private network that can span multiple regions and data centers, ensuring fast, secure communication between locations. The service supports dynamic routing, bandwidth management and real-time network monitoring, making it easy to manage and optimize network performance. CEN is ideal for businesses that need a robust, scalable network to support critical applications and high-speed data transfers, improving business continuity and reducing downtime.

13. Log Service

Log Service is a log management platform that allows companies to collect, store, analyze and visualize logs generated by their applications and infrastructures. Supports integration with other Alibaba Cloud services for comprehensive log management. Log Service offers advanced analytics capabilities that help you quickly identify problems and anomalies through customizable dashboards and reports. Users can set up queries to extract specific information from logs and set up alerts for critical events, facilitating timely response to incidents. The service also ensures the security of log data through encryption and configurable retention policies, ensuring that logs are accessible only to authorized personnel and retained for the period necessary to meet compliance and auditing needs.

14. Function Compute

Function Compute is a serverless computing service that lets you run code without having to manage servers. Businesses can upload their own features and the service automatically scales based on workload. This eliminates the need to manually provision, manage and scale servers, reducing operational costs and simplifying application development. Function Compute supports various programming languages ​​and offers integrations with other Alibaba Cloud services, enabling the creation of flexible and modular applications. Additionally, the service includes monitoring and logging features that help developers track the performance of their features and quickly resolve any issues.

15. DataWorks

DataWorks is a big data platform that offers tools for data preparation, analysis and management. It includes ETL, data integration and data governance capabilities, making it easier to work with large volumes of data. DataWorks allows you to build complex data pipelines to extract, transform and load data from different sources, ensuring data cleanliness and quality. The platform supports collaboration between teams of data scientists, analysts and data engineers through an intuitive interface and versioning and change tracking tools. With DataWorks, companies can accelerate their data analytics projects and gain meaningful insights faster, improving decision making and business operations.

16. Machine Learning Platform for AI (PAI)

PAI is a machine learning platform that offers tools and services for developing, training, and deploying artificial intelligence models. It supports the entire machine learning lifecycle, from data preparation to model production. PAI includes a wide range of pre-built algorithms and a drag-and-drop interface that makes building models easy even for those without advanced machine learning skills. The platform also offers scalable compute resources for training models on large datasets and model management tools for performance monitoring and deployment in production environments. With PAI, companies can leverage artificial intelligence to improve business processes, personalize user experiences, and gain a competitive advantage.

17. IoT Platform

IoT Platform is a complete solution for managing Internet of Things (IoT) devices. It includes functionality for connecting, controlling, collecting and analyzing data from IoT devices. The platform supports various communication protocols and offers tools for managing the lifecycle of devices, from registration to maintenance and firmware updates. IoT Platform allows you to build scalable IoT applications that can integrate billions of devices, collecting data in real time and applying advanced analytics to extract useful insights. Security is a priority, with authentication, encryption and access control capabilities to protect your data and devices. Businesses can use IoT Platform to automate processes, monitor remote operations, and improve operational efficiency.

18. Blockchain as a Service (BaaS)

BaaS is a service that allows companies to create, deploy and manage blockchain networks. It supports various blockchain frameworks such as Hyperledger Fabric and Ant Blockchain, making it easier to implement blockchain solutions. This service allows you to take advantage of the benefits of blockchain technology, such as transparency, immutability and security, without having to deal with the technical complexity of managing blockchain infrastructure. BaaS includes tools for network monitoring, identity management, and consensus policy configuration, offering a complete platform for developing decentralized applications. Businesses can use BaaS to create supply chain solutions, smart contracts, and payment systems with high reliability and security.

19. Cloud Migration

Cloud Migration is a service that helps companies migrate their applications and data to Alibaba Cloud. Includes tools for migrating servers, databases and applications, reducing downtime and ensuring a smooth transition. This service offers a set of automated capabilities to assess your existing environment, plan migration, and perform data and application transfers. Cloud Migration also supports post-migration testing to ensure that all applications work correctly in the new environment. With options for gradual or full migration, businesses can choose the approach that best suits their needs, minimizing the risks and costs associated with the migration process.

20. Data Protection & Backup

Data Protection & Backup offers solutions for data backup and recovery. Includes automatic backup, data encryption and disaster recovery features to ensure the security and integrity of your business data. This service allows companies to configure customized backup policies to protect critical data from accidental loss, human error or cyber attack. Disaster recovery solutions ensure that data can be restored quickly in the event of emergencies, minimizing downtime and impact on business operations. Data Protection & Backup also offers monitoring and reporting capabilities to maintain visibility into the status of your backups and ensure compliance with data protection regulations.

21. Elastic IP Service (EIP)

EIP is a service that provides elastic public IP addresses that can be associated with ECS instances. EIP addresses can be redistributed between instances to dynamically manage network traffic. This service offers the flexibility to assign and redirect public IP addresses as per operational needs, facilitating traffic management and application resilience. EIP is particularly useful for load balancing, configuring NAT gateways, and managing external access to applications distributed across multiple ECS instances. Automatic IP address management and monitoring features help optimize network resources and maintain high availability of applications.

22. Hybrid Cloud Solutions

Alibaba Cloud offers hybrid cloud solutions that allow companies to integrate their on-premise infrastructures with cloud services. This hybrid approach allows you to leverage the benefits of the public cloud, such as scalability and flexibility, while maintaining control over sensitive resources and critical data within on-premises infrastructures. Alibaba Cloud's hybrid cloud solutions support seamless migration of applications and data, unified resource management, and secure connectivity between on-premise and cloud environments. Furthermore, they offer advanced tools for monitoring and optimizing resources, ensuring a consistent user experience and high performance. This hybrid model is ideal for businesses looking to balance innovation and compliance, while benefiting from the elastic computing capabilities of the public cloud.

23. Image Search

Image Search is an AI-powered image search service that allows you to search for similar images based on an input image. It is useful for applications such as e-commerce, content management and surveillance. This service uses advanced image recognition algorithms to analyze and compare the visual characteristics of images, returning accurate and relevant results in seconds. Businesses can integrate Image Search into their platforms to improve user experience, for example, by allowing customers to find similar or complementary products from a photo. Additionally, Image Search can be used to manage large image archives, making it easy to catalog and search for specific content. The technology behind Image Search is constantly updated to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the service.

24. Video on Demand (VOD)

VOD is a video hosting and streaming service that allows businesses to upload, manage and distribute video content. Includes encoding, transcoding, content protection and video performance analysis capabilities. VOD offers a scalable platform for streaming high-quality video, supporting various formats and resolutions to ensure smooth playback across different devices. Businesses can use VOD to distribute educational, promotional or entertainment content, reaching global audiences without having to worry about managing infrastructure. Content protection features, such as DRM (Digital Rights Management), ensure that videos are protected against unauthorized use. Furthermore, analysis tools allow you to monitor video performance, collecting data on views, engagement and streaming quality, to optimize user experience and content distribution strategies.

25. MaxCompute

MaxCompute is a data warehousing platform that allows companies to process and analyze large volumes of data quickly and efficiently. Using a distributed computing architecture, MaxCompute offers massive processing capabilities to support big data analytics scenarios. Businesses can load, store and manage datasets of any size, performing complex SQL queries and large-scale data analysis without having to worry about infrastructure scalability or performance. MaxCompute also supports integration with various business intelligence and machine learning tools, making it easy to extract meaningful insights from data. With built-in security and compliance, MaxCompute ensures that data is protected and managed in accordance with international regulations, making it a reliable solution for the data warehousing needs of modern enterprises.

26. Mobile Platform as a Service (mPaaS)

mPaaS is a mobile application development platform that provides tools for building, testing, deploying, and managing mobile apps. Includes SDK, analytics tools, and backend services to facilitate mobile development. mPaaS allows developers to build robust, scalable applications with a full range of out-of-the-box components, such as push notifications, user authentication, and integration with cloud services. The platform also supports automated and manual application testing, ensuring apps are stable and performant before launch. With built-in analytics, mPaaS provides detailed insights into app usage, allowing businesses to make informed decisions to improve user experience. Backend services, such as databases and storage, simplify the management of data and server resources, reducing development time and operational costs.

27. Quick BI

Quick BI is a business intelligence tool that allows you to create interactive reports and dashboards. It supports integration with various databases and data sources, providing real-time analytics and intuitive visualizations. Quick BI allows users to explore data, create custom reports and share insights with business teams. The platform offers a variety of widgets and graphics to build dashboards that display key information in a clear and understandable way. With drag-and-drop functionality, even users without technical skills can easily set up reports and dashboards. Quick BI also supports mobile access, allowing users to view analytics and make informed decisions wherever they are. Advanced security features ensure that sensitive data is protected, complying with privacy and data security regulations.

28. Security Center

Security Center is a security platform that offers threat monitoring, vulnerability analysis, and patch management. Helps protect cloud resources from cyber threats and maintain compliance with security regulations. Security Center uses advanced threat detection technologies to identify suspicious activity and attacks in real time, allowing organizations to quickly respond and mitigate risks. The platform also offers vulnerability management tools, which help you discover and resolve system weaknesses before they can be exploited by attackers. Patch management capabilities automate the software update process, ensuring that all systems are always protected from the latest threats. Security Center provides detailed reports and security dashboards to maintain a complete view of the security posture of your cloud infrastructure.

29. Simple Application Server (SAS)

SAS is a service that provides pre-configured servers for running web and mobile applications. Includes templates for various technology stacks, simplifying the application deployment and management process. SAS is ideal for developers and small businesses that need a fast and affordable solution to host their applications. Pre-configured servers reduce the time needed to set up your infrastructure, allowing you to focus on application development. SAS supports a variety of programming languages ​​and frameworks, giving you flexibility in your choice of technologies. The service also includes autoscaling, performance monitoring and data backup features, ensuring that applications are always available and performing. Ease of use and simplified management make SAS an excellent choice for those looking to quickly launch new applications without the complexity of managing the underlying infrastructure.

30. Web Application Firewall (WAF)

WAF is a security service that protects web applications from common attacks such as SQL injection, XSS, and DDoS attacks. It provides customizable filters and detailed reports to ensure web application security. WAF is designed to detect and block threats in real time, using up-to-date security rules and machine learning-based detection techniques. The service can be configured to fit the specific needs of each application, with the ability to create custom security rules. WAF also offers continuous monitoring and detailed reporting capabilities, providing visibility into security activities and attack attempts. This helps companies identify and mitigate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Integration with other Alibaba Cloud security services allows you to implement a complete defense strategy, protecting web applications and user data.

Service matching from AWS to Alibaba Cloud

Although Alibaba Cloud is an Enterprise-level Cloud platform, it is also true that in Europe its use is very low compared to solutions such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Computing. The main motivation arises from the old policies on data exports to non-European countries, such as the GDPR, and from the fact that Alibaba Cloud is not actually a trend among technicians such as systems engineers, developers and DevOPS. Concerns regarding GDPR compliance and the protection of sensitive data have led many European companies to prefer cloud providers with an established presence in Europe and greater familiarity with local regulations.

However, in some cases, it is useful to be able to work with Chinese companies that make very frequent and intense use of it. China is a huge and dynamic market, and many Chinese companies use Alibaba Cloud for their daily operations. For European companies looking to expand their operations in China or collaborate with Chinese partners, having expertise in Alibaba Cloud can offer a significant competitive advantage. From this perspective, it could be useful to be able to learn Alibaba Cloud, using some of the experience and knowledge gained on AWS. Alibaba Cloud offers a wide range of services that are similar, if not equivalent, to those offered by AWS. Therefore, if you know AWS, understanding and using Alibaba Cloud will not be very difficult.

Alibaba Cloud has worked to improve its compliance with international regulations and has made significant efforts to increase data transparency and security. These improvements make Alibaba Cloud an increasingly attractive choice for European companies that need to comply with the GDPR. Additionally, the platform offers multilingual support and a range of localized services that can facilitate adoption by non-Chinese users.

We therefore wanted to list below a cheatsheet with all corresponding services from AWS to Alibaba Cloud. This list will help users familiar with AWS easily navigate Alibaba Cloud's vast ecosystem, enabling a smoother transition and adoption of best practices developed with AWS.

Conclusion

While Alibaba Cloud has not yet reached the same diffusion as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud in Europe, it represents a valid alternative, especially for companies looking to expand their presence in the Chinese market. The compatibility and service equivalence between Alibaba Cloud and AWS makes adoption easier for those already familiar with AWS solutions, allowing for a smooth and seamless transition. With an increasing focus on regulatory compliance and data security, Alibaba Cloud is becoming an increasingly attractive choice for European businesses as well. This cheatsheet of corresponding services offers a useful starting point for exploring and making the most of the potential offered by Alibaba Cloud, integrating existing skills and opening new opportunities for global growth and collaboration.