Container platforms & registries
Amazon ECS Express Mode / AWS App Runner vs Azure Container Apps / Azure App Service
On AWS this is now Amazon ECS Express Mode, since App Runner is closed to new customers.
On Azure, the equivalent is Azure Container Apps (or App Service for containers).
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Amazon ECS Express Mode AWS App Runner Maintenance | Azure Container Apps Azure App Service |
| Lifecycle | Generally available Closed to new customers (availability change announced Mar 31, 2026). Existing customers can keep creating services, but no new features are planned. AWS recommends ECS Express Mode. | Generally available Generally available |
| What it is | One API call (container image plus two IAM roles) creates a Fargate ECS service with an HTTPS URL, ALB with TLS, auto scaling, monitoring, and networking. No extra charge. Fully managed web app and API service from source code or a container image, with automatic HTTPS, scaling, and load balancing. | Serverless container platform built on Kubernetes (KEDA, Envoy, Dapr) without exposing the Kubernetes API. Includes apps, jobs, revisions and traffic splitting, scale to zero, Consumption and Dedicated workload profiles, and serverless GPUs. A managed PaaS for web apps, APIs, and containers (Windows or Linux). It includes deployment slots, autoscale, built-in auth, managed certificates, and App Service Environment for isolation. |
| Pricing model | ECS Express Mode has no extra charge. You pay for Fargate, the ALB, and other resources. App Runner bills per vCPU and GB for active and provisioned instances. | Container Apps Consumption is billed per vCPU-second, GiB-second, and requests, with a free monthly grant. App Service is billed per plan. |
| Docs | Amazon ECS Express Mode docs AWS App Runner docs | Azure Container Apps docs Azure App Service docs |
| Pricing page | Amazon ECS Express Mode pricing AWS App Runner pricing | Azure Container Apps pricing Azure App Service pricing |
| Exams | DVA-C02 Retiring SAA-C03 | AZ-104 AI-200 |
Key differences
- App Runner (source code or image to URL) entered maintenance on Mar 31, 2026. Existing customers can still create services, but no new features are coming. AWS publishes a blue/green migration path to ECS Express Mode.
- ECS Express Mode creates visible resources in your account (ECS service on Fargate, ALB with TLS, auto scaling, networking) from one API call. Container Apps is a managed environment where you deploy with az containerapp up or from source.
- Scale to zero. Container Apps can scale to zero. ECS Express Mode services run at least one Fargate task, so check the minimum task count.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- ECS Express Mode has no extra charge. You pay for Fargate, the ALB, and other resources. App Runner bills per vCPU and GB for active and provisioned instances. Amazon ECS Express Mode pricing → AWS App Runner pricing →
- Azure
- Container Apps Consumption is billed per vCPU-second, GiB-second, and requests, with a free monthly grant. App Service is billed per plan. Azure Container Apps pricing → Azure App Service pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate DVA-C02 | AWS | Associate | retiring Being updated to DVA-C03. Registration for DVA-C03 opens Oct 27, 2026. Last day to take DVA-C02 is Nov 30, 2026. |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate SAA-C03 | AWS | Associate | current Italian version retires after Dec 31, 2026. |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure Administrator Associate AZ-104 | Azure | Associate | current |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate AI-200 | Azure | Associate | current Back-end services, containers, and architecture for AI solutions on Azure. |
Relevance is based on each exam's published scope, not a line-by-line objective match. Check the official study guide.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of Amazon ECS Express Mode and AWS App Runner?
On AWS this is now Amazon ECS Express Mode, since App Runner is closed to new customers. On Azure, the equivalent is Azure Container Apps (or App Service for containers).
How does pricing compare between Amazon ECS Express Mode and AWS App Runner and Azure Container Apps and Azure App Service?
AWS: ECS Express Mode has no extra charge. You pay for Fargate, the ALB, and other resources. App Runner bills per vCPU and GB for active and provisioned instances. Azure: Container Apps Consumption is billed per vCPU-second, GiB-second, and requests, with a free monthly grant. App Service is billed per plan. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) [retiring]; AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03); Microsoft Certified – Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104); Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate (AI-200).