Akamai Cloud Computing

Akamai Cloud Computing (formerly Linode) is a global cloud infrastructure platform offering developer-friendly Linux virtual machines, Kubernetes, GPU instances, and managed databases. Acquired by Akamai in 2022, the platform now combines Linode's straightforward, predictable pricing with Akamai's massive global network infrastructure—featuring core compute regions plus 4,350+ distributed edge locations across 130+ countries. With over 1 million developers and businesses trusting the platform, Akamai Cloud delivers simplicity and powerful capabilities from edge to cloud.

The platform excels at providing reliable cloud computing without the complexity and unpredictable costs often associated with major cloud providers. Akamai Cloud serves developers, startups, and enterprises who need high-performance infrastructure with transparent pricing and exceptional support, now backed by one of the world's largest content delivery networks.

Core Compute Options

Akamai Cloud's strength lies in its straightforward approach to cloud computing. The platform offers multiple compute instance types optimized for different workloads, all backed by NVMe storage and predictable monthly pricing with generous bandwidth allocations.

Shared CPU Instances ($5-$1,152/month):

• Nanode: Entry-level VPS starting at $5/month with 1GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25GB NVMe, and 1TB transfer—perfect for development, testing, or small websites
• Standard Plans: Range from $12-$1,152/month with 2GB-192GB RAM, balancing affordability with performance for general-purpose workloads
• Network Performance: Up to 12 Gbps network with 40 Gbps infrastructure backbone
• Generous Bandwidth: 1TB-20TB transfer included with no overage charges within reasonable use

Shared instances provide excellent value for websites, blogs, development environments, and applications that don't require dedicated CPU resources. The shared model allows competitive pricing while maintaining reliable performance for most use cases.

Dedicated CPU Instances ($45-$5,760/month):

• Latest AMD EPYC Processors: 5th Gen AMD EPYC (Zen 5) with G8 dedicated compute offering enterprise-grade performance
• Dedicated Resources: Full CPU cores dedicated to your workload, eliminating noisy neighbor issues
• Configurations: 4GB-512GB RAM with 2-256 dedicated cores for compute-intensive applications
• Ideal For: CI/CD pipelines, video encoding, machine learning, game servers, and production databases requiring consistent performance
• Enhanced Performance: High-consistency compute for latency-sensitive and resource-heavy applications

High Memory Instances ($60-$960/month):

• Memory-Optimized: Specialized configurations with higher RAM-to-CPU ratios for memory-intensive workloads
• Up to 300GB RAM: Handle large datasets, in-memory databases, and big data processing
• Use Cases: Redis, Memcached, large-scale analytics, and applications with significant caching requirements

GPU Instances ($350-$2,384/month):

• NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation: Latest GPU technology for AI, machine learning, and rendering
• NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000: Professional-grade graphics processing with 24GB VRAM
• NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell: Next-generation GPU architecture for cutting-edge workloads
• Configurations: 1-4 GPUs per instance with up to 128GB system RAM
• Applications: Deep learning model training, 3D rendering, video processing, and computational workloads

Accelerated Compute ($280-$488/month):

• NETINT Quadra T1U VPUs: Video processing units for specialized media transcoding workloads
• Optimized Performance: Faster and more efficient than general-purpose compute for video encoding
• Use Cases: Streaming services, video platforms, and content delivery requiring transcoding at scale

Managed Services

Beyond raw compute power, Akamai Cloud offers fully managed services that eliminate infrastructure management overhead, allowing teams to focus on building applications.

Managed Databases:

• Database Engines: MySQL and PostgreSQL with automated backups, updates, and monitoring
• High Availability: 1-3 node clusters with automatic failover to protect against data loss and downtime
• Enterprise Performance: G7 dedicated compute with 3rd Gen AMD EPYC processors starting at $81.60/month per node
• Automatic Backups: Daily backups with point-in-time recovery capabilities
• Scaling: Vertical and horizontal scaling as database needs grow

Linode Kubernetes Engine (LKE):

• Managed Control Plane: High-availability control plane available for $60/month per cluster, or enterprise HA for $300/month
• Managed Updates: Automatic security patches and version upgrades handled by Akamai
• Auto-Scaling: Horizontal pod autoscaling and cluster autoscaling adapt to demand
• Integrated Monitoring: Built-in metrics and logging for cluster health visibility
• kubectl Compatible: Standard Kubernetes API works with existing tools and workflows

Object Storage ($5-$20,000/month):

• S3-Compatible: Drop-in replacement for Amazon S3 with compatible API and tools
• Massive Scalability: 250GB to 1PB+ storage with 1 billion objects per cluster
• Flat Pricing: Starting at $5 per 250GB with 1TB outbound transfer included
• Additional Storage: $0.02/GB beyond base allocation, $0.005/GB additional transfer
• Use Cases: Backups, static website hosting, media storage, and data archiving

Block Storage ($1-$1,024/month):

• High-Speed Volumes: Attach additional NVMe storage to compute instances
• Capacity: 10GB to 10TB volumes at $0.10/GB per month
• High Availability: Replicated storage with snapshot capabilities

Networking & Global Infrastructure

Akamai Cloud's global infrastructure ensures applications run with fast, reliable connectivity. The platform leverages Akamai's massive network—one of the world's largest—for exceptional performance and reach.

Global Infrastructure:

• Core Compute Regions: Full cloud services in strategic locations across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and South America
• 4,350+ Distributed Edge PoPs: Edge computing locations in hard-to-reach areas globally for ultra-low latency
• 130+ Countries: Massive global footprint leveraging Akamai's CDN infrastructure
• 1+ Pbps Capacity: Petabit-scale edge capacity for massive workloads
• 1,200+ Networks: Direct interconnections for optimal routing and performance
• 24/7 Monitoring: Continuous infrastructure monitoring and support

Cloud Firewall:

• Free Network Security: No additional cost for robust firewall protection
• Inbound/Outbound Rules: Control traffic flow with flexible rule definitions
• Reusable Configurations: Apply firewall rules across multiple instances
• IPv4 and IPv6: Full support for modern internet protocols

DDoS Protection:

• Always-On Protection: Automatic mitigation of distributed denial-of-service attacks included
• Network-Level Defense: Leverages Akamai's industry-leading DDoS mitigation capabilities
• No Configuration Required: Protection works transparently without manual setup

NodeBalancers ($10/month):

• Layer 4 & Layer 7: HTTP/HTTPS and TCP load balancing capabilities
• High Availability: Distribute traffic across multiple backend nodes
• Health Checks: Automatic detection and routing around failed instances
• SSL/TLS Termination: Offload encryption handling from application servers
• Session Persistence: Sticky sessions maintain user connections to specific backends

Developer Experience

Akamai Cloud prioritizes developer productivity with tools, APIs, and integrations that streamline infrastructure management and deployment workflows.

APIs & CLI:

• Full-Featured API: Programmatic control over every aspect of your infrastructure
• Command-Line Interface: Manage resources from the terminal with intuitive commands
• Infrastructure as Code: Terraform provider enables declarative infrastructure management
• Ansible Integration: Configuration management with dynamic inventory support

App Platform:

• Cloud-Native Deployment: Deploy containerized applications on Kubernetes in minutes
• Automated Infrastructure: Platform handles orchestration and scaling automatically
• CI/CD Integration: Connect GitHub, GitLab, or container registries for automated deployments

Marketplace & One-Click Apps:

• 100+ Applications: Deploy WordPress, Docker, GitLab, MongoDB, and more with single clicks
• Pre-Configured Stacks: LAMP, MEAN, LEMP stacks ready to use immediately
• Development Tools: Jupyter, VS Code Server, and development environments deploy in minutes
• Community Contributions: Growing marketplace of community-created application templates

Backups & Snapshots:

• Automated Backups: Daily backups with 7-10 day retention for approximately 5.5% of instance cost per month
• Manual Snapshots: Capture instance state anytime for cloning or disaster recovery
• Instant Restoration: Restore from backups to new or existing instances in minutes
• Image Service: Custom images up to 150GB with 25 images per account

Security & Compliance

Akamai Cloud takes security seriously with multiple layers of protection and compliance certifications that meet enterprise requirements, backed by Akamai's decades of cybersecurity expertise.

Security measures include:

• SOC 2 Type II Certified: Independently audited security controls and practices
• ISO 27001 Compliance: International standard for information security management
• PCI DSS Compliant: Infrastructure meets payment card industry security standards
• GDPR Ready: European data protection regulation compliance for customer data
• Two-Factor Authentication: Secure account access with TOTP-based 2FA
• Private Networking: Secure instance-to-instance communication within data centers
• Full Disk Encryption: All data encrypted at rest on NVMe storage
• Akamai Security Integration: Benefit from one of the world's leading cybersecurity platforms

Support & Documentation

Akamai Cloud is renowned for exceptional customer support and comprehensive documentation. The support team consists of actual Linux administrators and cloud engineers rather than tier-1 call center staff.

Support options include:

• 24/7/365 Ticket Support: Expert assistance available around the clock on all plans
• Phone Support: Direct phone access to support engineers during business hours
• Community Forum: Active community of users and Akamai staff answering questions
• 800+ Guides: Comprehensive tutorials covering common tasks and configurations at techdocs.akamai.com
• API Documentation: Complete reference for programmatic infrastructure management
• Status Page: Real-time information about service health and incidents at status.linode.com
• Cloud Consulting: Speak with cloud consultants for migration assistance and architecture planning
• Managed Services: Optional $100/instance/month management service for full infrastructure support

Pricing & Value

Akamai Cloud's transparent, predictable pricing stands out in the cloud computing market. There are no surprise charges, confusing pricing tiers, or hidden fees that plague other providers.

Pricing advantages include:

• All-Inclusive Pricing: Storage, transfer, backups, and support included in monthly cost
• Generous Bandwidth: 1-20TB transfer included depending on plan in core regions, with unlimited distributed edge options
• Hourly Billing: Pay by the hour up to monthly cap ($0.0075/hour = $5/month max)
• Low Egress Fees: Only $0.005/GB for overages, far less than AWS/Azure/GCP
• No Egress Within Network: Free data transfer between Akamai services in same region
• Price Match Guarantee: Akamai will match competitor pricing on equivalent configurations
• $5,000 Cloud Credits: Available to qualifying enterprise customers for migrations and large deployments

Use Cases & Applications

Akamai Cloud's flexibility and performance make it suitable for virtually any cloud workload. From individual developers to large enterprises, the platform accommodates diverse requirements with global reach.

Common use cases include:

• Web & Application Hosting: WordPress sites, e-commerce platforms, and web applications with traffic of any scale
• Edge Computing: Serverless applications and low-latency workloads at 4,350+ edge locations globally
• Development & Testing: Staging environments, CI/CD pipelines, and development sandboxes
• Microservices & Containers: Kubernetes-native applications with LKE or App Platform
• Game Servers: Minecraft, multiplayer games with low-latency global infrastructure
• AI & Machine Learning: Model training and inference using GPU instances with NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada and RTX 6000
• Video Processing: Media transcoding with NETINT VPU accelerated compute instances
• Data Analytics: Big data processing, data warehousing, and business intelligence
• Backup & DR: Off-site backups and disaster recovery infrastructure with object storage

Who Should Use Akamai Cloud Computing?

Akamai Cloud excels for users who value straightforward pricing, reliable performance, global reach, and quality support. It's particularly well-suited for teams that prefer simplicity and predictability, now backed by enterprise-grade infrastructure.

Ideal for:

• Developers & Startups: Teams needing affordable, predictable infrastructure costs without enterprise complexity
• Growing Businesses: Companies requiring scalable infrastructure from development to global production
• Agencies & Freelancers: Web developers managing multiple client projects and websites
• Linux & DevOps Teams: System administrators who prefer root access and control with modern tooling
• Cost-Conscious Organizations: Businesses seeking better value than AWS/Azure/GCP without sacrificing reliability
• Global Applications: Companies needing edge computing capabilities across 130+ countries
• Education & Non-Profits: Organizations with limited budgets needing professional-grade infrastructure
• Enterprises: Large organizations benefiting from Akamai's network, security, and 2,450+ service experts

However, Akamai Cloud may not be the best fit for organizations requiring Windows Server hosting (Linux-focused), extensive AWS-specific managed services, or teams already deeply invested in hyperscaler-specific services. The platform focuses on core cloud computing with exceptional performance and pricing rather than the vast ecosystem of specialized services offered by AWS/Azure/GCP.