Amazon Cognito vs Stormpath: What are the differences?
## Introduction
Amazon Cognito and Stormpath are both identity management services that help developers securely manage user authentication and authorization in their applications.
1. **User Pools**: Amazon Cognito provides user pools, which are user directories that allow you to create and manage users and support sign-up and sign-in functionality. Stormpath, on the other hand, does not have native support for user pools, instead focusing on providing identity and access management services.
2. **Integration with AWS Services**: Amazon Cognito seamlessly integrates with other AWS services, making it easy to extend its functionality and leverage additional features such as AWS Lambda functions and Amazon S3 storage. Stormpath, while capable of integrating with various platforms, may require additional configuration to work with AWS services.
3. **Serverless Authentication**: Amazon Cognito offers serverless authentication, allowing developers to authenticate users without managing servers or infrastructure. Stormpath employs a more traditional server-based approach for authentication, which may require more maintenance and scaling considerations.
4. **Customization and Extensibility**: Amazon Cognito allows for extensive customization and extensibility through triggers and AWS Lambda functions, enabling developers to tailor the authentication process to their specific needs. Stormpath provides a rich set of features, but customization options may be limited compared to Amazon Cognito.
5. **Pricing Model**: Amazon Cognito follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model based on the number of monthly active users, providing flexibility for applications of various sizes. Stormpath offers fixed pricing plans based on the number of users, which may be more predictable for some users but potentially less cost-effective for large-scale applications.
In Summary, Amazon Cognito and Stormpath differ in their support for user pools, integration with AWS services, authentication methods, customization options, and pricing models.
