Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs NGINX Plus comparison

NGINX Plus and Microsoft Azure Application Gateway compete in the web traffic management category, with NGINX Plus having an edge in performance and versatility, while Azure Application Gateway excels in integration with Azure services.

Features: NGINX Plus is favored for its ability to provide load balancing, reverse proxy, and high performance with minimal resource usage, offering extensive customization and support for microservices architectures. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is known for its integration with Azure services, ease of use, and robust security features like the Web Application Firewall (WAF), making it suitable for large-scale cloud environments.

Room for Improvement: NGINX Plus could improve scalability and pricing, along with better management solutions such as graphical user interfaces; enhancements in clustering and configuration streamlining are also desired. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway needs improvements in flexibility, particularly in network prototyping, with initial deployment complexity and security features also being areas where enhancements are sought, as well as more flexible pricing.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NGINX Plus is highly versatile in hybrid and on-premises deployments, though user support often relies on community resources. Azure Application Gateway shines in public cloud deployments with seamless Azure integration but faces challenges with complex initial setups, and documentation could be improved.

Pricing and ROI: NGINX Plus offers a reasonable price for its features but can be costly when scaling. It provides a good ROI with improved application performance. Azure Application Gateway's usage-based pricing is seen as high compared to competitors, but its integration benefits within Azure provide satisfactory ROI when fully utilized in cloud environments.