AWS vs. Azure: The Best Cloud for PostgreSQL Migration
Author: Phil Vacca | 4 min read | April 1, 2025
If you’ve decided to deploy PostgreSQL in the cloud, the next challenge is picking the right provider. Both AWS and Azure offer managed PostgreSQL services, but they serve different needs.
Amazon RDS & Aurora PostgreSQL – These offerings are part of Amazon’s high-performance ecosystem for developing cloud-native applications.
- Aurora is up to 3x faster than standard PostgreSQL, ideal for transaction-heavy workloads.
- Auto-scaling read replicas improve performance for global applications.
- All RDS managed offerings simplify disaster recovery across multiple global regions.
- RDS is tightly integrated with other AWS components like AWS Lambda, Redshift, and Sagemaker for analytics, as well as being a backbone of AI workloads.
Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Best fit for Microsoft-centric enterprises, but equally suitable for any organization that wants to leverage Microsoft’s investments in application development and AI.
- Seamless integration with Active Directory, Power BI, and hybrid cloud environments.
- Zone-redundant high availability (ZRS) for increased resilience.
- Hyperscale (Citus) enables distributed queries across massive datasets.
- Intelligent tuning enhances performance automatically, and adjusts parameters for better write performance and vacuum optimization.
Which Cloud is Right for You?
AWS’s vast ecosystem prioritizes performance, scalability, and analytics; but the wealth of options can be overwhelmingly complex and creates a higher barrier of entry for many organizations starting out. If you have the developer resources—choose AWS Aurora PostgreSQL.
The Azure platform is known for its ease-of-use, and affordable entry options. If you’re limited in initial resources, or if you are already deeply integrated into Microsoft’s ecosystem—choose Azure PostgreSQL.
Still not sure? A successful migration isn’t just about picking the right cloud—it’s about performance tuning, cost optimization, and ensuring long-term success.
Datavail helps enterprises seamlessly migrate from Oracle to PostgreSQL and optimize cloud deployments. Let’s build your PostgreSQL migration strategy today.
