Have you ever wondered what the word Cloud-native means or DevOps? This article is an exploration of the cloud-native development world by defining some key terms, benefits of cloud-native applications, and some examples of cloud-native environments.
What is Cloud-Native Development and Why is it so Important?
Cloud-native architecture is a software development approach that is based on the principles of microservices and containers. The benefit of this approach is that it allows developers to build and deploy applications faster, more reliably, and more cost-effectively.
Cloud-native architecture has been around for a while now but it still doesn\’t have a clear definition. It could be thought of as an evolution of the microservices architecture that allows developers to create cloud-native applications by using containers, which are lightweight virtualization technologies.
The rise in popularity of cloud-native development can be attributed to the need for speed in software development as well as the need for better security.
What is Microservices Architecture and how is it different from Monolithic Architecture?
Microservices are a style of software architecture. Unlike monolithic architecture, it is composed of many small services. Instead of a large application in one codebase, the application is broken up into small services that are independently maintained and deployable.
The following figure shows the differences between the Monolithic vs Microservices architecture approach.
Source: Microsoft
What are containers and how do they work?
Containers are a software technology that can provide an isolated, resource-controlled environment. Containers are a type of application virtualization that allows developers to have their isolated versions of applications running on the same physical host. It solves the problem of dependencies because it is all contained in the container. An example of a container provider is called Docker.
5 Benefits of Cloud-Native Development
Cloud-native technology offers a number of benefits that traditional software cannot provide. It enables developers to deliver applications and services at scale, handle resource contention and failure, and improve the speed of application development. Let’s take a look at 5 benefits of choosing cloud-native technology.
- Scalability: With cloud-native technology, you can scale your application up or down as needed without having to worry about scaling issues that could arise from other systems.
- Resilience: Cloud-native systems are designed to be resilient so they can handle failures in the infrastructure such as power outages or hardware failure.
- Speed: Developers can build applications faster with cloud-native technologies because these technologies are designed to automate many of the tasks that would have taken more time in traditional
- Reusability: Developers can build applications that can reuse microservices across different applications which will save time and money.
- Agile: Agile development is a software development process that embraces change. This process uses human-centered design and iterative practices to build software that requires flexibility in the face of changing requirements, user feedback, and evolving technologies.
What Are Some Examples of Cloud-Native Technologies?
Cloud-native technologies are a new way of doing things. They are built with the modern cloud in mind and are optimized for the cloud.
Cloud-native technologies have many benefits, but the most important is that they can be used across different platforms and devices. They also work well with containers, which makes them scalable and easy to deploy.
Kubernetes
Kubernetes is a system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It groups containers that make up an application into logical units for easy management and discovery. It was designed by Google but the Cloud Native Computing Foundation maintains the project.
Red Hat OpenShift
OpenShift is Red Hat\’s Cloud application platform. It provides a robust, multi-language development environment, plus all the necessary software components to support applications. OpenShift is an open source and free to download application that enables developers to quickly deploy web, mobile and IoT applications.
Cloud Foundry
Cloud Foundry is a Cloud Native platform designed to help companies build, deploy, and manage applications. The Cloud Foundry architecture enables organizations to gain the agility of public cloud apps with the control and security of the on-premises infrastructure.
These are just a few examples of cloud-native technologies. For more information, visit the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).
What is DevOps?
DevOps is a set of practices used to shorten the time it takes to create software while maintaining high standards of quality. These days it is possible, with the use of DevOps, to create a new software package in a matter of weeks, rather than months or even years. DevOps is often seen as a key part of agile methodology and many aspects of DevOps started out from the Agile framework. It focuses on bringing development and operations teams together to accomplish a common goal of speed and agility.
How do DevOps and Cloud-Native work with each other?
DevOps and Cloud-Native work very closely together because of the need to be more agile since both of them focus on different aspects of the application development process. DevOps focuses on the development and operations sides, but Cloud Native takes it to the next level and focuses on applications themselves. Both work hand in hand to be able to deliver higher quality software applications faster.
Conclusion
The cloud-native approach is the new standard for enterprise architecture. It is a way of designing, building, and running applications in the cloud.
It has been observed that companies who adopt a cloud-native approach are able to achieve higher levels of innovation, agility, and scalability.
It also offers many benefits such as:
- Reduced IT costs by up to 50%
- Reduced time to market by up to 75%
- Ability to react faster in the market due to constant availability of resources
- Reduction in complexity
- Less coupling between the services in an application
DevOps is a set of practices that brings development teams and operations teams together to deliver software faster and of higher quality. DevOps focuses on the principles and practices, Cloud-native focuses on the application environment and how to scale and deliver software faster and of higher quality.
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Attend Training to Learn How to Become a Cloud Native Developer
If you are looking to become a Cloud Native Developer, there is a two-step process that I recommend:
- Train and certify in the Linxu Foundation Certified IT Associate (LFCA).
- Train and certify in the Cloud Native Associate (KCNA).
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Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments.
