Oracle APEX is an enterprise AI application platform for building secure, scalable web and mobile applications. Trusted by thousands of organizations, APEX powers systems that run core business operations every day. Oracle APEX, powered by Oracle AI Database, ensures every application inherits built-in reliability, governance, and security. APEX helps developers turn ideas into production-ready apps quickly, without sacrificing control or performance.

The mission of Oracle APEX is to empower developers to easily build compelling apps with superior functionality, performance, and end-user experience. In order to deliver on this mission, Oracle APEX aims to eliminate the significant complexities of developing and deploying enterprise apps.

Understanding Multicloud Strategy

A Multicloud strategy allows organizations to use services from multiple cloud providers, selecting the best platform for each workload or business requirement. This approach enhances resilience, flexibility, and compliance, ensuring that applications and data can reside where they perform best or meet regulatory needs.

By distributing workloads across different clouds, enterprises gain greater control over cost, performance, and data governance, while avoiding vendor lock-in. Whether adopting a cloud-native or cloud-agnostic model, multicloud delivers the freedom to innovate on the right cloud for every use case.

Oracle’s Multicloud Database Strategy

Oracle’s Multicloud database strategy extends Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) into the data centers of Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud through partnerships, bringing Oracle Database and its full capabilities, including Oracle APEX, directly to where enterprises already operate. This enables organizations to build and run APEX applications closer to their cloud-native workloads while maintaining the full performance, security, and feature set of Oracle Database.

Official Documentation:

Why It Matters for APEX Developers

Oracle APEX runs natively on Oracle Database, meaning any environment that hosts Oracle Database@Azure, @AWS, or @Google Cloud can support APEX applications with no code changes or replatforming.

This strengthens Oracle’s Multicloud strategy, making it particularly valuable for enterprises looking to modernize legacy systems or deploy new AI-powered Enterprise Apps within their current cloud environments.

Key Benefits for APEX Workloads

  1. Low-Latency Connectivity
    • APEX apps running on Database@Azure, @AWS, or @Google Cloud offer low-latency within the same availability zone/data center.
    • This proximity minimizes data transfer delays between APEX, Oracle Database, and other cloud services such as Azure Functions, AWS Lambda, or Google Cloud Run.
  2. Full Oracle Database Feature Set
    • Every multicloud deployment uses OCI-managed Exadata, Exascale, or Base Database Services, ensuring that APEX developers have access to Autonomous Database, REST Data Services (ORDS), and PL/SQL without feature restrictions.
    • APEX applications can migrate from on-premises or OCI environments without modification, ensuring a smooth transition
  3. Streamlined Integration with Cloud-Native Services
    • What differentiates Oracle’s Multicloud approach is its natural alignment with the native services of major cloud providers. This allows teams to continue using their familiar tools and security frameworks, reducing the time typically spent learning new integrations and helping new applications reach production faster.
    • Below are the native services Oracle can integrate with across major cloud providers.
      • Azure: Integrated with Microsoft Entra ID (for authentication), Azure Networking, Azure AI services, and Microsoft Fabric for advanced analytics.
      • AWS: Connects natively with Amazon EC2, VPC, IAM, and S3 for hosting and storage with zero-ETL integration to Amazon Redshift for near real-time analytics and machine learning on transactional data.
      • Google Cloud: Works with Google Compute Engine, VPC, BigQuery, Vertex AI, and Cloud Observability tools.
      • Developers can integrate APEX applications with each platform’s native AI, analytics, and identity management tools while managing the database via familiar cloud interfaces.
  4. Unified Management and Billing
    • All Oracle Database@Cloud services are purchased through their respective cloud marketplaces (Azure, AWS, GCP).
    • Customers receive a single invoice, and usage counts toward hyperscaler spending commitments and Oracle Support Rewards.
  5. Autonomous Database Support for APEX
    • On all three clouds, Autonomous Database provides a fully managed environment for APEX with automated scaling, patching, and backups.
    • This allows teams to focus on building applications instead of managing infrastructure — ideal for low-code, high-velocity development.
  6. Flexible Service Options
    • Base Database Service: Now generally available across all three clouds, providing lifecycle-managed, pay-as-you-go options with automated provisioning, patching, Oracle APEX low-code support, and independently scalable compute and block storage.
    • Exascale Infrastructure: Available on multiple platforms for lower entry costs and flexible scaling, making enterprise-grade Exadata performance accessible to more organizations.
    • Autonomous AI Lakehouse: Combines Oracle Autonomous AI Database and Oracle AI Database 26ai with Apache Iceberg format and Exadata performance optimizations for advanced AI and analytics workloads.

Platform Highlights

Oracle Database@Azure

  • Regional Availability: Now available in 31 Azure regions globally (as of December 2025), including Australia East, Australia Southeast, Brazil South, Canada Central, Canada East, Central India, Central US, East US, East US 2, France Central, Germany North, Germany West Central, Italy North, Japan East, Japan West, North Europe, Southeast Asia, South Central US, Spain Central, Sweden Central, Switzerland North, UAE Central, UAE North, UK South, UK West, West US, West US 2, and West US 3
  • Expansion Plans: Five additional regions planned within the next 12 months: Brazil Southeast, France South, North Central US, South India, and West Europe
  • Integration: Deepest Oracle-Microsoft integration with Exadata infrastructure physically located in Azure data centers
  • APEX Support: APEX runs on Exadata Database Service, Autonomous Database, and Base Database Service options
  • Identity Management: Identity and access handled through Microsoft Entra ID
  • Advanced Analytics: Integration with Microsoft Fabric and Power BI for comprehensive analytics capabilities

Oracle Database@AWS

  • Regional Availability: Currently available in 5 AWS regions (US East N. Virginia, US West Oregon, US Ohio, Frankfurt) with expansion to 20 additional AWS regions planned, including US West (N. California), and multiple regions across Asia Pacific, Europe, and South America
  • Infrastructure: OCI-managed Exadata systems deployed in AWS Availability Zones
  • APEX Support: Supports APEX via Exadata, Autonomous Database, and Base Database Services
  • Integration Capabilities:
    • Zero-ETL integration with Amazon Redshift for near real-time analytics and machine learning
    • Direct integration with EC2, S3, IAM, CloudFormation, CloudWatch, VPC Lattice, and EventBridge
  • Feature Set: Full Oracle feature set retained — including ORDS and PL/SQL

Oracle Database@Google Cloud

  • Regional Availability: Available in 11 Google Cloud regions, including Australia-Southeast 2 (Melbourne), North America-Northeast 1 (Montreal), Toronto, Mumbai, US Central 1 (Iowa), Asia-Northeast 1 (Tokyo), Sydney, Germany Central (Frankfurt), UK South (London), US East (Ashburn), and US West (Salt Lake City)
  • Expansion Plans: Nine additional regions planned within the next 12 months
  • Infrastructure: Deploys Oracle Database within Google Cloud using Exadata, Exascale, Base Database Service, or Autonomous Database
  • APEX Workload Type: Dedicated APEX workload configuration available when creating an Autonomous Database, specifically designed for Oracle APEX application development, with creation and deployment of low-code applications
  • Integration: Google Cloud-native integrations, including IAM, BigQuery, BigLake, Vertex AI for AI/ML workloads, and Cloud Observability tools
  • Use Case: Ideal for customers seeking Google Cloud AI/analytics capabilities with Oracle Database performance

Migration and Development Made Simple

Migrating and developing Oracle APEX applications is straightforward and consistent across environments:

  • On-premises APEX applications can be migrated to any multicloud environment without requiring refactoring.
  • Oracle-supported tools such as Data Pump, GoldenGate, and Zero Downtime Migration (ZDM) ensure seamless data and schema portability. Developers can continue using familiar tools like APEX Application Builder, SQL Developer Web, and RESTful Web Services, maintaining the same development experience as in OCI.

FAQs

Q1. Do I need separate licensing for APEX on multicloud platforms, and does licensing differ between development and production?

No. Oracle APEX is available at no additional cost. Whether you are using AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, if you have Oracle Database, you already have access to APEX. You only pay for the underlying Oracle Database licenses and the cloud infrastructure.

There is no distinction between development and production licenses. Regardless of the number of developers, the number of applications you build, or the number of end users, there are no additional licensing fees for APEX. Costs apply only to your Oracle Database and infrastructure.

Q2. How do I enable SSO for APEX on Multicloud?
Oracle APEX can easily integrate with any identity provider offered by major cloud vendors AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. Each platform provides its own native authentication and federated access options, and APEX works seamlessly with all of them. For instance, you can connect APEX with AWS IAM, Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), or Google Cloud Identity using industry standards like SAML or OpenID Connect. You can also set up custom authentication schemes directly within APEX if you need more flexibility.

Q3. How does APEX connect securely to databases using private or restricted network access?
APEX fully supports secure connectivity with databases configured for private or controlled network access. When provisioning an Autonomous Database, you can choose from the following options based on your security needs:

  • Secure access from everywhere: Enables a public endpoint, allowing global access from all IPs (default option).
  • Secure access from allowed IPs and VCNs only: Uses a public endpoint but restricts access through Access Control Lists (ACLs) for specific IPs or VCNs.
  • Private endpoint access only: Assigns a private IP and hostname, ensuring all traffic stays within your Virtual Cloud Network (VCN).

When using private endpoints, APEX and ORDS communicate entirely within the VCN, ensuring data never traverses the public internet. For Exadata or Base Database Service, you can deploy ORDS in a private subnet and connect it securely over private endpoints for full network isolation and control.

Q4. Can I use hyperscaler storage services with APEX?
Yes. Oracle APEX integrates with cloud storage for file handling:

  • AWS S3 via REST APIs or SDK
  • Azure Blob Storage for direct file operations
  • Google Cloud Storage using API-based access

Implementation is done via PL/SQL or APEX REST Data Sources.

Q5. Can APEX applications be easily moved across different cloud environments, and what configurations should be reviewed?

Yes. Oracle APEX applications are metadata-based, which makes them fully portable across all Oracle Database environments, whether running on Oracle Cloud, AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. You can simply export your application, move your schema using Oracle Data Pump, and import it into the target database. APEX runs without code changes, allowing teams to develop in one cloud and deploy in another with minimal effort.

After migration, most applications work right away, but it is important to verify a few environment-specific settings. You should check your authentication schemes, REST endpoints, file storage, and external integrations to ensure compatibility.

For example, Autonomous Database comes preconfigured with APEX and ORDS, while Base Database or Exadata environments may require deploying ORDS on a private compute instance connected through a VCN or VNet. You should also validate certificates and network configurations to maintain secure and reliable access.

Additionally, when migrating an Oracle APEX application from one cloud environment to another, it is essential to verify version compatibility. The APEX version in the destination cloud should be the same as or higher than the version in the source environment.

Summary

Oracle’s Multicloud database services make Oracle APEX deployment location-agnostic, enabling the same Enterprise AI App Development experience across Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, and OCI.

By combining Autonomous Database, Exadata performance, Base Database Service flexibility, and tight hyperscaler integration, Oracle gives APEX developers the freedom to build, scale, and secure applications wherever their data or users reside.

With accelerated regional expansion across all three major cloud platforms and enhanced integration capabilities, including zero-ETL analytics, AI/ML services, and unified billing, Oracle’s multicloud strategy positions APEX as a truly cloud-agnostic low-code development platform ready for enterprise-scale deployment.