This article examines infrastructure options for Sitecore deployments, focusing on virtual machine configurations rather than PaaS solutions.
Azure Server Tiers
Azure offers four server levels:
- Basic servers lack autoscaling and load balancing capabilities, suitable only for minimal-traffic single farms.
- Standard servers provide better performance at affordable rates with load balancing support.
- D-Series represents modern Xeon-based infrastructure with SSD temporary storage—recommended as the starting point for serious Sitecore deployments.
- Dv2-Series delivers the latest processors (Xeon E5-2673 v3 or better) with similar storage configurations.
Azure pricing operates on pay-as-you-go terms without long-term discount options.
| Tier | Cost per Core | Cost per GB RAM (monthly) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $56.21 | $32.12 |
| Standard | $65.70 | $37.54 |
| D-Series | $102.20 | $29.20 |
| Dv2-Series | $133.52 | $32.43 |
AWS EC2 Approach
Amazon uses M-series for production workloads. Unlike Azure’s direct-attached storage, AWS utilizes SAN-based drives, allowing customers to choose disk types (magnetic, SSD, optimized) and quantity independently.
On-demand M-series pricing: approximately $89.70 per core, ~$22.42 per GB RAM.
Reserved instances dramatically reduce costs:
| Commitment | Cost per Core | Cost per GB RAM |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year | $58.00 | ~$14.37 |
| 3-year | ~$44.60 | ~$11.17 |
Three-year AWS reserved instances undercut Azure’s cheapest offerings while providing modern server specifications.