Cloud-native is a modern approach to application development and deployment that harnesses the power of the cloud computing delivery model. The idea is to develop and deploy applications in dynamic environments such as public, private, and hybrid clouds where resources can be scaled up and down as needed. Cloud-native applications are generally containerized, deployed as loosely coupled microservices running in the cloud. They embody the principles of Agile and DevOps methodologies and are typically deployed as continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. Let’s take a look at some of the core technologies and concepts that make an app cloud-native.
Containers
Containers take virtualisation to the operating system level. They allow you to package all the code and dependencies, including binaries, libraries, and configuration files, needed for a process, app, or service to run. Containerized software can run reliably from one computing environment to another. Fast, portable, and lightweight, containers can be orchestrated dynamically to optimise performance and resource consumption.
Microservices Architecture
A microservices architecture is a modular approach to developing software systems. Instead of building one big monolithic application, you build a suite of single-function services with well-defined operations and interfaces. This modular approach to app development leads to improved scalability, flexibility, and testability. Containers are a natural fit with microservices architectures.
DevOps
DevOps is a combination of methodologies, automation technologies, and best practices aimed at streamlining the software development lifecycle by improving integration and communication between development and operations teams. The end goal is a CI/CD pipeline for faster product development and deployment. Containers can help simplify and accelerate the development, testing and deployment process.
Learn more about cloud-native applications.