Google Compute Engine vs Heroku: What are the differences?

Introduction

This document highlights the key differences between Google Compute Engine and Heroku.

1. Pricing model: Google Compute Engine offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model, where users are billed based on the resources they consume. On the other hand, Heroku follows a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) pricing model, where the cost is determined by the dyno hours used.

2. Scalability: Google Compute Engine allows users to scale resources vertically by increasing the size of a virtual machine, or horizontally by adding more virtual machines to a cluster. Heroku, however, supports horizontal scalability by allowing users to add dynos to their applications.

3. Customization: With Google Compute Engine, users have more control over customizing their virtual machines, as they can choose the operating system, install custom software, and modify network settings. Heroku, being a PaaS, provides limited customization options, as it abstracts away the infrastructure management to provide a simpler development experience.

4. Managed services: Google Compute Engine offers a wide range of managed services, such as Cloud SQL for managed MySQL and PostgreSQL databases, Cloud Pub/Sub for real-time messaging, and Cloud Storage for object storage. Heroku, on the other hand, provides an integrated platform that includes managed services like Heroku Postgres for databases and Heroku Redis for caching.

5. Deployment process: Google Compute Engine requires users to manually set up and configure their virtual machines, which involves a more involved deployment process. In contrast, Heroku simplifies the deployment process by providing a Git-based workflow, where users can push their code changes to Heroku and the platform handles the deployment and scaling automatically.

6. Community support: Google Compute Engine has a large community of users and developers, with extensive documentation, forums, and resources available. Heroku also has a vibrant developer community but is more tightly integrated with the broader Salesforce ecosystem, offering a different support experience.

In summary, Google Compute Engine offers a flexible pricing model, extensive customization options, and a wide range of managed services, making it a suitable choice for users who require greater control and scalability. On the other hand, Heroku provides a simpler deployment process, integrated managed services, and a community that is tightly linked to the Salesforce ecosystem, making it a good option for developers looking for a streamlined development experience.