PCF vs Azure
Service Model
| Aspect | PCF | Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Level | PaaS | IaaS + PaaS |
| Deployment | Buildpacks | App Service, Kubernetes |
| Scaling | Built-in | App Service scale-out |
| Integration | Service Brokers | 300+ services |
Deployment
Azure Approach
```bash
App Service (Azure PaaS)
az appservice plan create --name myplan --resource-group mygroup az webapp create --resource-group mygroup --plan myplan --name myapp az webapp deployment source config --resource-group mygroup --name myapp --repo-url https://...
Alternative: Container Instances
az container create --resource-group mygroup --image myimage:latest --name myapp
Alternative: Kubernetes (AKS)
az aks create --resource-group mygroup --name myaks kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml ```
PCF Approach
```bash cf push my-app
Done
```
Services
Azure Services
```bash
Create database
az mysql server create --resource-group mygroup --name mydb
Create cache
az redis create --resource-group mygroup --name mycache
Connect manually
Manage connection strings in code
```
PCF Services
```bash
Create database
cf create-service postgresql free my-db
Create cache
cf create-service redis free my-cache
Automatic connection injection
cf bind-service my-app my-db ```
Terminology Mapping
| Azure | PCF | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Resource Group | Organization | Logical grouping |
| Subscription | Foundation | Billing/access boundary |
| App Service Plan | Quota | Resource allocation |
| Virtual Network | Space | Network isolation |
Cost Comparison
Azure Pricing
App Service: $0.07-$1/hour per instance
Database: $0.12-$2/hour
Data transfer: $0.10-$0.20/GB
Storage: $0.024/GB
PCF Pricing
Foundation: $10,000-$100,000/year
Per-memory allocation: included
Scaling: unlimited
Integration
Azure Ecosystem
- Tight integration with Microsoft stack
- SQL Server, Active Directory, Office 365
- Strong for enterprise Microsoft shops
PCF Ecosystem
- Language/framework agnostic
- Integrates with any cloud provider
- Strong for polyglot environments
When to Choose
Choose PCF if:
- Prefer platform simplicity
- Multi-cloud strategy
- Non-Microsoft stack
- App deployment focus
Choose Azure if:
- Existing Microsoft investment
- Need Active Directory integration
- Office 365/Dynamics integration needed
- SQL Server required
See Comparison Matrix for detailed feature comparison.