AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) vs Fly vs Hipache: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this comparison, we will highlight the key differences between AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ELB), Fly, and Hipache.

1. Supported Platforms: AWS ELB is a service provided by Amazon Web Services and is specific to their infrastructure, offering seamless integration with other AWS services. Fly is a global application platform that can be used on any cloud provider or on-premise servers. Hipache, on the other hand, is an open-source project that can be run on any server with Redis installed.

2. Load Balancing Algorithms: AWS ELB offers several load balancing algorithms such as round-robin, least connections, and IP hash. Fly customizes load balancing based on a mixture of capability and algorithm, offering more flexibility and control. Hipache uses a simple round-robin algorithm, which may not provide the same level of customization as the other two services.

3. Scalability: AWS ELB automatically scales based on traffic patterns and can handle massive amounts of traffic due to its integration with other AWS services like Auto Scaling. Fly is designed to scale automatically across regions and cloud providers to maintain reliability and performance. Hipache can scale horizontally by adding more Hipache instances but may require manual intervention for scaling compared to the other services.

4. Monitoring and Metrics: AWS ELB offers detailed monitoring through Amazon CloudWatch, providing insights into traffic, latency, and error rates. Fly provides real-time metrics and logging through its dashboard for better visibility into applications. Hipache may require additional tools or configurations for monitoring and metrics, as it does not offer built-in monitoring capabilities.

5. SSL Termination: AWS ELB supports SSL termination, allowing encryption/decryption of traffic at the load balancer level. Fly also offers SSL termination as part of its platform, ensuring secure communication between clients and servers. Hipache lacks native SSL termination support, which may require additional configurations or services for secure communication.

6. Cost Structure: AWS ELB has a pricing model based on the number of active connections and data processed, which can vary based on usage. Fly offers a flat-rate pricing structure with predictable costs for all users, making it easier to budget and plan for expenses. Hipache being open-source, incurs no direct costs for usage, but may require operational costs for maintenance and support.

In Summary, AWS Elastic Load Balancing, Fly, and Hipache differ in supported platforms, load balancing algorithms, scalability, monitoring capabilities, SSL termination, and cost structures.