Alibaba Cloud (阿里云) : China's AWS with ~40% cloud market share in the Asia-Pacific region.

China's version of AWS, Alibaba Cloud is the largest cloud computing provider in China and the Asia-Pacific region, holding approximately 40% of the Chinese cloud market. It offers a comprehensive suite of cloud services including elastic computing, database, storage, CDN, security, and AI services. Its scalability has been proven by successfully handling Alibaba's 11.11 traffic spikes.

How does Alibaba Cloud compare to AWS?

Alibaba Cloud offers competitive pricing, often 10-30% cheaper than AWS for comparable services in Asia. It excels in CDN and e-commerce infrastructure. However, its global service availability and documentation quality lag behind AWS. It is the preferred choice for businesses targeting Chinese markets.

Does Alibaba Cloud require Chinese identification?

International users can register with an email address and pay with international credit cards. No Chinese ID is needed for basic services. Enterprise accounts may require business verification. The international site accepts USD billing with support for major global payment methods.

Can I use Alibaba Cloud from the US?

Alibaba Cloud is fully accessible from the US with an international website in English. It is the largest cloud provider in Asia and third globally after AWS and Azure. It offers global data centers including in Silicon Valley, making it accessible for US developers.