AWS vs. Google vs.
Red Hat
A comparative analysis of cloud computing services and solutions offered by Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Red Hat — covering public, private, and hybrid deployment models.
There is no shortage of cloud computing vendors. But for organizations evaluating AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Red Hat, the decision is less about features and more about strategy — public versus private, managed versus open, speed versus control.
This analysis maps the core services, deployment models, and strategic trade-offs across all three platforms so you can make an informed decision for your organization.
Why These Three Providers
Cloud computing can broadly be categorized into three models: Public Cloud, Private Cloud, and Hybrid Cloud. Each model addresses different organizational needs, risk tolerances, and infrastructure strategies.
Amazon Web Services holds the largest market share in the public cloud segment, owing largely to its first-mover advantage and the breadth of services it offers. Microsoft Azure ranks second in reported revenue, but its "commercial cloud" figures bundle SaaS products like Office 365 alongside Azure infrastructure — making it a natural fit specifically for Microsoft-centric organizations rather than a broadly applicable platform. The same logic applies to Oracle and IBM cloud offerings. This comparison focuses on providers relevant across diverse technology environments.
Red Hat offers the most mature and comprehensive solutions for Private Cloud and Hybrid Cloud deployments, which is why it earns a seat alongside AWS and Google in this analysis.
Cloud Services Mapping
One effective way to evaluate cloud providers is to map comparable offerings across platforms. The table below provides a high-level mapping of core services across AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Red Hat.
| Service | Amazon | Red Hat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Platform | AWS | Google Cloud Platform | OpenStack |
| IaaS | Elastic Cloud Compute | Compute Engine | Cloud Infrastructure |
| PaaS | Elastic Beanstalk | App Engine | OpenShift |
| FaaS (Serverless) | AWS Lambda | Cloud Functions | OpenWhisk |
| Hybrid / Private | Outposts | Anthos | OpenStack |
Hybrid & Private Cloud
"Private Cloud and Hybrid Cloud adoption strategies continue to accelerate — and organizations need platforms built for that reality from the ground up."
A hybrid cloud incorporates both on-premises infrastructure and public cloud resources, enabling organizations to migrate workloads incrementally, extend data center capacity, improve geographic proximity to end users, and establish cost-effective disaster recovery solutions.
A private cloud provisions IT services over dedicated infrastructure for the exclusive use of a single organization, typically managed by internal teams. It is worth noting that "private cloud" and "Virtual Private Cloud" (VPC) are technically distinct: a VPC leverages a third-party provider's infrastructure, while a true private cloud is hosted internally.
Amazon Outposts and Google Anthos both represent meaningful investments in hybrid capability — but they were developed as extensions to existing public cloud platforms rather than being architected as core capabilities from day one. Red Hat's OpenStack Platform, by contrast, was built specifically for this purpose. It is open-source, hardware-agnostic, and can be deployed on-premises or on top of AWS or Google Cloud infrastructure, giving organizations maximum flexibility and a genuine path away from vendor lock-in.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Both AWS and Google operate among the largest and most globally distributed cloud networks in the world. AWS leads in total data center footprint; Google differentiates through its privately owned global fiber network, which provides low-latency, high-reliability connectivity between facilities. Both are best-in-class for organizations provisioning and managing virtual machines at scale.
Platform as a Service (PaaS)
PaaS solutions abstract infrastructure management — system administration, operations, security, and scaling — so development teams can focus on building applications. Google holds a notable advantage here, providing seamless integration with Google Accounts, Maps, and an extensive portfolio of AI and Machine Learning APIs. Red Hat's OpenShift is the leading PaaS for organizations requiring on-premises or hybrid deployments.
Functions as a Service (FaaS)
Serverless computing enables developers to deploy discrete units of business logic without managing underlying infrastructure. Functions initialize in milliseconds, process a single request, and terminate on completion. AWS Lambda currently leads the FaaS market in maturity, performance, and language support. Apache OpenWhisk — Red Hat's preferred serverless framework — is the strongest option for organizations prioritizing open-source and private cloud environments.
Hybrid & Private Cloud
Red Hat's OpenStack Platform remains the most comprehensive solution for organizations requiring hybrid or private cloud deployments. Built on open-source technologies, it supports existing hardware investments and avoids the vendor lock-in inherent in proprietary platforms. Critically, it can also be deployed on top of AWS or Google Cloud infrastructure, providing a vendor-agnostic foundation for long-term cloud strategy.
Serverless Language Support
Language support varies meaningfully across FaaS platforms. JavaScript (Node.js) remains the only universally supported runtime across all three providers and is the most widely documented. The table below maps current language support across AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions, and Apache OpenWhisk.
| Language | AWS Lambda | GCP Functions | Apache OpenWhisk |
|---|---|---|---|
| JavaScript (Node.js) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Java | Yes | No | Yes (Partial) |
| C# | Yes | No | No |
| Python | Yes | No | Yes |
| PHP | No | No | Yes |
| Go | Yes (Partial) | No | No |
| F# | No | No | No |
| Swift | No | No | Yes |
Public Cloud (IaaS)
AWS and Google Cloud are best-in-class for organizations provisioning virtual machines and server infrastructure at global scale. AWS leads in breadth; Google leads in network performance.
Application Development (PaaS)
Google App Engine and Red Hat OpenShift are the leading PaaS options. Google excels in AI/ML API integration; OpenShift leads for on-premises and hybrid deployments.
Serverless Workloads (FaaS)
AWS Lambda leads the market in maturity, performance, and language support. Apache OpenWhisk is the best open-source alternative for private and hybrid cloud environments.
Private or Hybrid Cloud
Red Hat OpenStack is the most comprehensive and vendor-agnostic option, deployable on existing hardware or on top of AWS and Google Cloud infrastructure.
Minimizing Vendor Lock-In
Deep API integration with any proprietary platform creates dependency. Red Hat's open-source stack — OpenStack, OpenShift, OpenWhisk — provides a portable, vendor-agnostic foundation.
The Bottom Line
There is no single definitive winner in cloud computing. The optimal choice depends on an organization's specific requirements, existing infrastructure investments, risk tolerance, and long-term strategy.
For organizations focused on public cloud infrastructure, AWS and Google Cloud both offer world-class capabilities at global scale. AWS leads in breadth of services and data center footprint; Google differentiates through its network infrastructure and depth in AI and machine learning.
For organizations that need private or hybrid cloud — or that want to preserve strategic flexibility — Red Hat presents the most compelling long-term foundation.
OpenStack, OpenShift, and Apache OpenWhisk are all open-source technologies deployable across multiple cloud environments, including on top of AWS and Google Cloud, as well as on-premises. That flexibility, combined with Red Hat's enterprise support model, makes the OpenStack ecosystem a sound foundation for organizations building vendor-agnostic cloud strategies.
Source: State of the Cloud Report, RightScale / Flexera, 2019. Statistics reflect survey data from enterprise cloud adopters at time of publication.