Amazon Web Services → Microsoft Azure
Azure equivalent of AWS Directory Service
AWS Directory Service maps to Microsoft Entra Domain Services.
About AWS Directory Service
| Provider | Amazon Web Services |
|---|---|
| Status | Generally available |
| What it is | AWS Managed Microsoft AD (real Windows Server AD run by AWS, with trusts to on-premises AD), AD Connector (a proxy to your AD), and Simple AD (Samba-based). |
| Documentation | docs.aws.amazon.com |
| Pricing | Official pricing page |
Azure mappings (1)
| Capability | Azure equivalent | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Managed Active Directory | Microsoft Entra Domain Services | Partial match |
Customer identity, directories & app access(1)
Managed Active Directory Partial match
AWS Directory Service maps to Microsoft Entra Domain Services. Both provide managed domain join, Group Policy, LDAP, and Kerberos or NTLM authentication.
- Source of identities. AWS Managed Microsoft AD is a real AD forest you administer (with delegated admin rights), and it can create trusts with on-premises AD. Entra Domain Services is a standalone managed domain whose users sync one way from Entra ID, with limited admin rights. You can configure forest trusts with on-premises AD DS for hybrid access.
- Proxy. AD Connector proxies requests to your existing AD with no cloud directory. On Azure, the equivalent pattern is to run your own domain controllers on Azure VMs, or use Entra Connect to sync identities.