Cloud vs Rack Comparison
This comparison helps you choose between Convox Cloud (managed machines) and self-hosted Convox Racks based on your requirements.
Use Case Recommendations
If you want a fast answer, start here. Pick the option that matches how you want to run your applications, then read the detailed comparison tables further down to confirm the specifics.
Choose Convox Cloud When:
- Need to deploy in minutes, not hours
- Limited DevOps resources
- Fixed monthly budgets
- Standard web applications
- Small development teams
- SaaS applications
Choose Self-Hosted Rack When:
- Need Kubernetes access
- Compliance requirements (HIPAA, PCI DSS)
- Service mesh implementations
- Multi-region deployments
- GPU workloads
- VPC peering required
- Direct RDS/ElastiCache access with advanced features
- Very large applications
For a recommendation by team type, see Recommendation Summary below. The full feature, cost, and scalability tables follow.
Summary
| Aspect | Convox Cloud | Self-Hosted Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Rapid deployment, predictable costs | Full control, compliance needs |
| Setup Time | < 1 minute | 10-20 minutes |
| Expertise Required | Minimal | Moderate to Advanced |
| Cost Model | Fixed monthly per machine/database | Variable infrastructure costs |
| Control Level | Platform-managed | Full control |
| Maintenance | Zero | Regular updates required |
Feature Comparison
Infrastructure Management
| Feature | Convox Cloud | Self-Hosted Rack |
|---|---|---|
| AWS Account Required | No | Yes |
| VPC Management | No | Yes |
| Security Groups | No | Yes |
| IAM Roles | No | Yes |
| Subnet Configuration | No | Yes |
| NAT Gateways | Managed | Self-managed |
| Cluster Upgrades | Automatic | Manual |
| OS Patching | Automatic | Manual/Automated |
| Certificate Management | Automatic | Automatic |
Developer Experience
| Feature | Convox Cloud | Self-Hosted Rack |
|---|---|---|
| CLI Commands | convox cloud |
convox |
| Deployment Speed | Fast (shared infra) | Fast (dedicated infra) |
| Build Environment | Managed pool | Configurable |
| Local Development | Same as rack | Identical |
| convox.yml Support | Full | Full |
| Environment Variables | Yes | Yes |
| Rolling Deployments | Yes | Yes |
| Rollback Support | Yes | Yes |
| Log Retention | 7 days | Configurable |
| Monitoring | Basic | Full CloudWatch/Custom |
Database Resources
| Feature | Convox Cloud | Self-Hosted Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Managed RDS | Yes (Cloud Databases) | Yes (RDS Resources) |
| PostgreSQL | Yes | Yes |
| MySQL | Yes | Yes |
| MariaDB | Yes | Yes |
| Read Replicas | No | Yes |
| Custom Instance Types | No (fixed classes) | Yes |
| Custom Storage Sizes | No (fixed per class) | Yes |
| Snapshot Restore | No | Yes |
| Database Import | No | Yes |
| ElastiCache | No | Yes |
| Containerized DBs | Yes | Yes |
Operational Capabilities
| Feature | Convox Cloud | Self-Hosted Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Kubectl Access | No | Yes |
| SSH to Nodes | No | Yes |
| Custom Node Types | No | Yes |
| Spot Instances | No | Yes |
| GPU Support | No | Yes |
| Custom AMIs | No | Yes |
| Cluster Autoscaling | No | Configurable |
| Pod Autoscaling | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Operators | No | Yes |
Networking
| Feature | Convox Cloud | Self-Hosted Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Load Balancer Type | Managed ALB | ALB/NLB/CLB |
| Static IPs | No | Yes |
| Custom Domains | Yes | Yes |
| SSL Termination | Yes | Yes |
| VPC Peering | No | Yes |
| Private Link | No | Yes |
| Internal Load Balancers | No | Yes |
| Network Policies | No | Yes |
Storage
| Feature | Convox Cloud | Self-Hosted Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent Volumes | No | Yes |
| EFS Support | No | Yes |
| EBS Volumes | No | Yes |
| S3 Access | Via credentials | Yes |
Security and Compliance
| Feature | Convox Cloud | Self-Hosted Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Network Isolation | Namespace | Full VPC |
| Pod Security Policies | Platform-managed | Customizable |
| Secrets Management | Environment vars | Multiple options |
| RBAC | Platform-managed | Full control |
| Audit Logging | Basic | CloudTrail/Custom |
| Custom Security Groups | No | Yes |
| WAF Integration | No | Yes |
Cost Analysis
Convox Cloud Pricing
Machines:
| Machine Size | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| X-Small | $12 |
| Small | $25 |
| Medium | $75 |
| Large | $150 |
Cloud Databases:
| Database Class | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| dev | $19 |
| small | $39 |
| medium | $99 |
| large | $199 |
Enabling durable: true doubles the database cost.
Self-Hosted Rack Costs (AWS)
Variable costs based on usage:
| Component | Typical Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EC2 Instances (3x t3.small) | ~$45 | Minimum HA setup |
| EKS Cluster | $73 | Fixed cost |
| Load Balancer | ~$25 | Plus data transfer |
| NAT Gateway | ~$45 | Plus data transfer |
| EBS Storage | ~$10 | 100 GB |
| Data Transfer | ~$20+ | Varies by usage |
| RDS (db.t3.micro) | ~$15+ | If using managed DB |
| Total | ~$228+ | Minimum production |
Cost Comparison by Scale
| Workload | Convox Cloud | Self-Hosted Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Dev/Test | $12-31 | ~$100 |
| Small Production | $64-103 | ~$228 |
| Medium Production | $174-273 | ~$400 |
| Large Production | $349-548 | ~$800+ |
Scalability Limits
| Metric | Convox Cloud | Self-Hosted Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Max Services/Machine | 20 | Unlimited |
| Max Processes/Service | 10 | Node limits |
| Max Apps/Machine | 10 | Unlimited |
| Build Concurrency | Queued | Configurable |
| Network Bandwidth | Shared | Dedicated |
| IOPS | Shared | Dedicated |
Migration Paths
Cloud to Rack
When to migrate:
- Outgrowing Cloud limitations
- Compliance requirements emerge
- Need for advanced features
Migration effort: Low
- Same application format
- Export/import supported
- 1-2 hours typical
Rack to Cloud
When to migrate:
- Reducing operational overhead
- Simplifying management
Migration effort: Low-Medium
- Remove unsupported features
- Adjust for limitations
- 2-4 hours typical
Hybrid Approach
Consider using both Cloud and Rack:
Development on Cloud
- X-Small machines for developers
- Dev database class
- Cost-effective testing
Production on Rack
- Full control and compliance
- Advanced features
- Custom configuration
Example Setup
# Development - Create machine via Console first
$ convox cloud deploy -i dev
# Production
$ convox rack install aws production
$ convox deploy -r production
Recommendation Summary
Small Teams/Startups
Recommend: Convox Cloud
- Fastest time to market
- Predictable costs
- Minimal operational overhead
Growing Companies
Recommend: Hybrid Approach
- Cloud for development/staging
- Rack for production
- Gradual migration path
Enterprises
Recommend: Self-Hosted Rack
- Full control and compliance
- Advanced integration options
- Custom configuration
Agencies
Recommend: Convox Cloud
- Quick client deployments
- Predictable billing
- Multi-tenant efficiency
Getting Started
Try Convox Cloud
# Create machine via Console at console.convox.com
$ convox cloud apps create my-app -i my-first-machine
$ convox cloud deploy -i my-first-machine -a my-app
Try Self-Hosted Rack
# Create Runtime Integration then Install Rack via Console
$ convox apps create my-app -r my-first-rack
$ convox deploy -r my-first-rack -a my-app
Support
- Sales: sales@convox.com
- Support: cloud-support@convox.com
- Community: community.convox.com
