Heroku vs Zeit Now: What are the differences?

Key Differences Between Heroku and Zeit Now

1. Deployment Process: One key difference between Heroku and Zeit Now is their deployment process. Heroku follows a continuous integration and deployment model, where code changes are automatically deployed after passing the specified tests. On the other hand, Zeit Now provides instant deployments, allowing developers to deploy code instantly by simply pushing to their Git repository or running a basic shell command. This means that Zeit Now offers a more immediate and simplified deployment experience compared to Heroku.

2. Serverless Architecture Support: Another difference between Heroku and Zeit Now is their support for serverless architectures. Heroku is based on the traditional concept of deploying applications on servers, where developers need to manage and scale their own server instances. In contrast, Zeit Now adopts a serverless approach, where developers can focus solely on building their applications without worrying about server management or scaling. Zeit Now automatically scales applications based on usage, making it more efficient and cost-effective for serverless architectures.

3. Pricing Model: Heroku and Zeit Now also differ in their pricing models. Heroku offers a variety of pricing plans, including free tier options, based on the resources and features required by the application. The pricing is flexible, allowing developers to choose the appropriate plan based on their needs and budget. On the other hand, Zeit Now follows a consumption-based pricing model, where developers pay for the resources used by their applications in a pay-as-you-go manner. This can be beneficial for developers with fluctuating or unpredictable traffic, as they only pay for what they use.

4. Deployment Environments: Heroku and Zeit Now have different approaches to deployment environments. Heroku provides a comprehensive platform with various deployment options, including pipelines for different environments like staging and production. Developers can easily manage and promote their applications through different stages of development using Heroku's intuitive interface. In contrast, Zeit Now primarily focuses on deploying single instances of an application. While Zeit Now does provide support for multiple environments, it doesn't offer the same level of environment management and promotion as Heroku.

5. Infrastructure Control: The level of infrastructure control is also a distinguishing factor between Heroku and Zeit Now. With Heroku, developers have limited control over the underlying infrastructure as it is an integrated platform that abstracts away many infrastructure details. This can be advantageous for developers who prefer a more hands-off approach and want to focus solely on building their applications. In comparison, Zeit Now allows for more control over the infrastructure, offering options to customize runtime environments and infrastructure configurations according to specific project requirements.

6. Integration Ecosystem: Lastly, Heroku and Zeit Now differ in their integration ecosystems. Heroku has a vast ecosystem of add-ons and integrations that provide additional functionality and services to enhance application development. Developers can easily integrate with various databases, third-party services, monitoring tools, and more through a wide range of Heroku add-ons. In contrast, Zeit Now offers a more lightweight ecosystem with fewer integrations and add-ons available. While Zeit Now does provide some built-in features and integrations, it may have fewer options compared to Heroku's extensive ecosystem.

In summary, Heroku and Zeit Now differ in their deployment process, support for serverless architectures, pricing models, deployment environments, level of infrastructure control, and integration ecosystems. Heroku offers a more continuous integration and deployment model, while Zeit Now provides instant deployments. Heroku is suitable for traditional server-based applications, while Zeit Now specializes in serverless architectures. Heroku has a flexible pricing model, while Zeit Now follows a consumption-based pricing model. Heroku offers comprehensive environment management, while Zeit Now focuses on deploying single instances. Heroku provides limited infrastructure control, while Zeit Now allows for more customization. Heroku has a vast integration ecosystem, while Zeit Now has a more lightweight ecosystem.