Container platforms & registries
AWS Fargate vs Azure Container Instances / Azure Container Apps
AWS Fargate maps to Azure Container Instances (single container groups and AKS virtual nodes) and to Azure Container Apps' Consumption profile.
Fargate is a compute engine for ECS and EKS, while ACI is a standalone service.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | AWS Fargate | Azure Container Instances Azure Container Apps |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Generally available Generally available |
| What it is | Serverless compute for ECS tasks and EKS pods. Each task or pod gets its own isolated, right-sized environment (Linux x86/Arm and Windows Server on ECS). | Run Linux or Windows container groups on demand with per-second billing, no orchestrator, and options for confidential, Spot, NGroups (multi-instance), standby pools, and AKS virtual nodes. 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. |
| Pricing model | Per-second billing for requested vCPU, memory, and extra ephemeral storage (1-minute minimum). Fargate Spot and Compute Savings Plans discount it. | ACI is billed per second for vCPU and memory of the container group (Windows has a surcharge). Container Apps Consumption is billed per vCPU-second and GiB-second. |
| Docs | AWS Fargate docs | Azure Container Instances docs Azure Container Apps docs |
| Pricing page | AWS Fargate pricing | Azure Container Instances pricing Azure Container Apps pricing |
| Exams | SAA-C03 DVA-C02 Retiring | AZ-104 AI-200 |
Key differences
- Fargate isn't used on its own. It's the capacity behind ECS tasks or EKS pods (selected through Fargate profiles). ACI can be called directly (container groups) or used as AKS virtual nodes. Virtual Nodes v2 is in preview.
- OS and options. Fargate on ECS supports Linux (x86 and Arm) and Windows Server. ACI supports Linux and Windows, plus confidential containers, Spot containers, NGroups, and standby pools.
- Fargate Spot gives interruptible capacity at a discount for ECS. ACI has Spot containers.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Per-second billing for requested vCPU, memory, and extra ephemeral storage (1-minute minimum). Fargate Spot and Compute Savings Plans discount it. AWS Fargate pricing →
- Azure
- ACI is billed per second for vCPU and memory of the container group (Windows has a surcharge). Container Apps Consumption is billed per vCPU-second and GiB-second. Azure Container Instances pricing → Azure Container Apps pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate SAA-C03 | AWS | Associate | current Italian version retires after Dec 31, 2026. |
| 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. |
| 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 AWS Fargate?
AWS Fargate maps to Azure Container Instances (single container groups and AKS virtual nodes) and to Azure Container Apps' Consumption profile. Fargate is a compute engine for ECS and EKS, while ACI is a standalone service.
How does pricing compare between AWS Fargate and Azure Container Instances and Azure Container Apps?
AWS: Per-second billing for requested vCPU, memory, and extra ephemeral storage (1-minute minimum). Fargate Spot and Compute Savings Plans discount it. Azure: ACI is billed per second for vCPU and memory of the container group (Windows has a surcharge). Container Apps Consumption is billed per vCPU-second and GiB-second. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03); AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) [retiring]; Microsoft Certified – Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104); Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate (AI-200).