HN versus Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
HN is a distributed cloud network for relational databases, more secure an dramatically more cost-efficient than legacy providers
The table below shows some examples of the differences between HN's cloud solution and those of AWS, Azure, and Google.
| Feature | HN | AWS, MS Azure, GCP |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Distributed network powerd by everyday computers | Massive centralized datacenters |
| Pricing Model | Pay only for storage and bandwidth; no hidden costs | Charges for compute, storage, scaling, security, and more |
| Performance | Consistent high-tier query response time of less then 3 seconds | Varies: performance can degrade under load, peak demand, or the availability of hardware |
| Security | Asynchronous military-grade encryption by default | Encryption options often require additional setup or costs |
| Scalability | Auto-scales by adjusting number of active nodes | Requires configuration, pre-planning, or reserved capacity |
| Data Sovereignty | Full control—choose country or region for storage | Limited or expensive data residency options |
| Innovation Model | Open, crowd-powered cloud—anyone can join and earn | Limited or expensive data residency options |
| Uptime redundancy | 5x redundancy—data split into 6MB packages stored across random nodes | Standard replication, often requiring extra configuration or cost |
| Development & Integration | Fast API as powerful as the data engine; no ODBC bottlenecks | Traditional ODBC or SQL connectors, often slower or less flexible |
| SQL compatibility | Works with SQL (adjustments may be needed, similar to Microsoft or AWS) | SQL-based but may require adjustments depending on platform (e.g., Microsoft, AWS) |
| Development Experience | Entirely API-driven with a UI for building on top of the API (within limits) | Typically reliant on traditional interfaces or APIs with platform-specific limitations |