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Azure Key Vault VS Alibaba Key Management Service

Compare Azure Key Vault VS Alibaba Key Management Service and see what are their differences

Azure Key Vault logo Azure Key Vault

Safeguard cryptographic keys and other secrets used by cloud apps and services with Microsoft Azure Key Vault. Try it now.

Alibaba Key Management Service logo Alibaba Key Management Service

Key Management Service allows you to create and manage encrypted keys to protect your data. You can use APIs or Alibaba Cloud management console to produce and manage Customer Master Keys.
  • Azure Key Vault Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11
  • Alibaba Key Management Service Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-29

Azure Key Vault features and specs

  • Centralized Management
    Azure Key Vault provides a unified location to manage keys, secrets, and certificates, reducing administrative complexity and improving security.
  • Scalability
    The service scales automatically to handle increased demand, making it suitable for both small applications and large enterprise solutions.
  • High Availability
    Azure Key Vault ensures high availability with automatic replication and geo-redundant storage options.
  • Enhanced Security
    Keys are protected by Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) and access policies can be set to enforce strict controls on who can access the data.
  • Compliance
    Azure Key Vault helps organizations meet various compliance standards (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) by securely managing and auditing access to keys and secrets.
  • Integration
    Seamlessly integrates with other Azure services, such as Azure Active Directory, Azure Storage, and Azure App Service, to provide end-to-end security solutions.
  • Auditing and Logging
    Offers built-in monitoring and logging features to track access and usage of keys, aiding in accountability and compliance efforts.

Possible disadvantages of Azure Key Vault

  • Cost
    The service can become expensive depending on the volume of keys, secrets, or certificates being managed and the number of operations performed.
  • Complexity
    Integrating Azure Key Vault with existing systems and setting up the appropriate access policies can be complex and time-consuming.
  • Latency
    There might be a small latency introduced when accessing secrets or keys stored in the Key Vault, which could impact performance for some time-sensitive applications.
  • Learning Curve
    Administrators and developers may require training to fully understand and effectively use Azure Key Vault, especially if they are new to Azure services.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Relying on Azure Key Vault ties your key management strategy closely to Microsoft's ecosystem, which could be a concern if you plan to switch cloud providers in the future.
  • Regional Availability
    While Azure Key Vault is available in many regions, it might not be available in all geographic areas, which could limit its use for globally distributed applications.

Alibaba Key Management Service features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Alibaba Key Management Service (KMS) offers a user-friendly interface and API, allowing for easy management and integration of encryption keys into applications and services on Alibaba Cloud.
  • Scalability
    Designed to scale with your business, Alibaba KMS can handle a large volume of keys and high-frequency encryption operations without compromising performance.
  • Enhanced Security
    Provides robust security features, including key rotation, HSM (Hardware Security Module) backed keys, and fine-grained access control, ensuring that your data is securely encrypted and access is tightly controlled.
  • Compliance Support
    Helps businesses meet compliance requirements by providing detailed logging of key usage and ensuring that encryption practices adhere to various regulatory standards.
  • Cost-Effective
    Offers competitive pricing and a pay-as-you-go model, making it cost-effective for businesses of all sizes to implement strong encryption practices.

Possible disadvantages of Alibaba Key Management Service

  • Limited Global Availability
    Compared to some other key management services, Alibaba KMS might not have as wide a range of global data centers, potentially affecting latency and availability for international operations.
  • Ecosystem Lock-In
    While deeply integrated with Alibaba Cloud offerings, users may find it challenging to use with non-Alibaba services, resulting in potential lock-in to the Alibaba ecosystem.
  • Complexity in Advanced Use Cases
    Some businesses may find advanced features complex to set up and manage, especially if they require customization beyond the standard offerings.
  • Documentation and Support
    The documentation, while comprehensive, may not be as thorough or accessible as global competitors, potentially requiring additional support for complex implementations.
  • Potential Integration Challenges
    Users leveraging a multicloud strategy or integrating services from different providers may face integration challenges compared to using a more universally supported key management service.

Azure Key Vault videos

Azure Key Vault Tutorial | Secure secrets, keys and certificates easily

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Azure Key Vault Basics : How to keep ‘secrets’ secret
  • Tutorial - How to securely store and load secrets using Azure Key Vault in .NET Core (using a certificate)

Alibaba Key Management Service videos

No Alibaba Key Management Service videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Azure Key Vault and Alibaba Key Management Service)
Security & Privacy
74 74%
26% 26
Cloud Storage
85 85%
15% 15
Password Management
62 62%
38% 38
Password Managers
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Azure Key Vault seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 19 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Azure Key Vault mentions (19)

  • Building A URL Shortener With Neon and Azure Serverless Functions
    Next, we create the connection to our database. Replace [YOUR_POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING] with the string you copied from the Neon dashboard. For security reasons, you would likely want to use a service like Azure Key Vault to manage your keys in a production environment, but for now, just placing them in the script will do. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Secrets Management in Kubernetes: Best Practices for Security
    Integration with External Systems Kubernetes External Secrets can integrate with tools like HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, and Google Cloud Secret Manager. For instance, to use HashiCorp Vault:. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Serverless Security Best Practices
    Utilize specialized tools like AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault,  or Azure Key Vault for secrets management in your serverless environments. These tools keep sensitive data out of function code and configurations and bring advanced features to the table:. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Kubernetes Secret Management
    Azure Key Vault is a cloud-based service provided by Microsoft Azure that enables secure storage and management of secrets. It integrates well with Kubernetes, allowing organizations to centralize and control access to secrets within their Azure infrastructure. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • HashiCorp Vault Alternatives
    No Azure Key Vault[0]? Oh #1 is your product? #3 and #4 mention your product being better? It's your company? Shm [0]: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/key-vault/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
View more

Alibaba Key Management Service mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Alibaba Key Management Service yet. Tracking of Alibaba Key Management Service recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Azure Key Vault and Alibaba Key Management Service, you can also consider the following products

AWS CloudHSM - Data Security

Egnyte - Enterprise File Sharing

OpenSSH - OpenSSH is a free version of the SSH connectivity tools that technical users rely on.

GnuPG - GnuPG is a complete and free implementation of the OpenPGP standard as defined by RFC4880 (also known as PGP).

Entrust KeyControl - Entrust KeyControl is a multi-cloud key management system that provides secure storage, protection, and recovery of cryptographic keys that are used to encrypt or decrypt data and information.

Vormetric Data Security Platform - Thales provides your organization with security and trust in data wherever data is created, shared or stored without impacting business agility.