Simple hosting & virtual desktops
AWS Elastic Beanstalk vs Azure App Service
AWS Elastic Beanstalk maps to Azure App Service.
Both deploy code to a managed web platform, but App Service is a fully managed PaaS while Beanstalk orchestrates EC2 (or EKS) resources in your account.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | AWS Elastic Beanstalk | Azure App Service |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Generally available |
| What it is | Upload-your-code web app platform. Standard mode runs apps on EC2 with load balancing and scaling. The newer Cluster mode runs apps on a service-operated EKS cluster. | 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 | There's no additional charge for Elastic Beanstalk. You pay for the EC2, load balancer, and storage resources it creates. | You pay per App Service plan (tier, instance size, and count), whatever the number of apps on it. There are Free and Shared tiers for testing, and the savings plan and reservations apply to some tiers. |
| Docs | AWS Elastic Beanstalk docs | Azure App Service docs |
| Pricing page | AWS Elastic Beanstalk pricing | Azure App Service pricing |
| Exams | DVA-C02 Retiring SAA-C03 | AZ-204 Retired AZ-104 |
Key differences
- Control. Beanstalk creates visible EC2 instances, an ALB, and Auto Scaling groups that you can SSH into and customize (Standard mode), or deploys onto a service-operated EKS cluster (Cluster mode). App Service runs your app on managed workers in an App Service plan, without VM access.
- Features only on App Service. Deployment slots with swap, built-in authentication (Easy Auth), free managed certificates, hybrid connections, and App Service Environment v3 for single-tenant isolation.
- Runtimes. Both support .NET, Java, Node.js, Python, PHP, and containers. Beanstalk also supports Go, Ruby, and Docker multi-container. App Service supports Windows and Linux plans.
- For new container-first apps, also compare AWS App Runner (now in maintenance) and ECS with Azure Container Apps. See the Containers & serverless category.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- There's no additional charge for Elastic Beanstalk. You pay for the EC2, load balancer, and storage resources it creates. AWS Elastic Beanstalk pricing →
- Azure
- You pay per App Service plan (tier, instance size, and count), whatever the number of apps on it. There are Free and Shared tiers for testing, and the savings plan and reservations apply to some tiers. 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 Developer Associate AZ-204 | Azure | Associate | retired The certification and renewal assessment are retired (the page doesn't give a date). The closest current developer credential is AI-200 (Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate). That's our reading, not an official mapping. |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure Administrator Associate AZ-104 | Azure | Associate | current |
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 AWS Elastic Beanstalk?
AWS Elastic Beanstalk maps to Azure App Service. Both deploy code to a managed web platform, but App Service is a fully managed PaaS while Beanstalk orchestrates EC2 (or EKS) resources in your account.
How does pricing compare between AWS Elastic Beanstalk and Azure App Service?
AWS: There's no additional charge for Elastic Beanstalk. You pay for the EC2, load balancer, and storage resources it creates. Azure: You pay per App Service plan (tier, instance size, and count), whatever the number of apps on it. There are Free and Shared tiers for testing, and the savings plan and reservations apply to some tiers. 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 Developer Associate (AZ-204) [retired]; Microsoft Certified – Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104).