A cloud-native architecture is characterized by the use of cloud-native services, APIs, and infrastructure, and it enables organizations to take full advantage of the benefits of cloud computing.
It emphasizes DevOps practices, automation, and continuous delivery to enable rapid deployment and efficient management of cloud-based applications.
Companies leverage the cloud-native architecture to design and deploy applications specifically built for cloud environments. They do so while using microservices and containerization to ensure scalability, flexibility, and resilience.
In this article, we explore the nitty-gritty of the cloud-native architecture and, as such, expand on the role of microservices, containers, elastic workloads, multi-cloud, and orchestration in helping businesses realize benefits from cloud-native application development.
The Growing Prominence of Elastic Workloads — How Cloud Native Technologies Support Them
Elastic workloads refer to applications or systems that require varying amounts of computing resources over time. These workloads can experience sudden spikes in demand, requiring more computing power than usual, or periods of low activity, where resources can be scaled down to save costs. Cloud-native technologies have been developed to support elastic workloads and enable efficient scaling of resources based on demand.
Some of the cloud native technologies that support elastic workloads include:
Microservices
Microservices refer to an architectural approach to software development where a single application is built as a suite of small, independent, and loosely-coupled services, each of which performs a specific business function. Each microservice can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently using different programming languages and technologies.
The microservices architecture lays the foundation for building cloud-native apps. The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) outlines that 48% of backend developers and 66% of cloud-native developers were using microservices in Q3 2021.
Why's that the case? Because microservices architecture facilitates scalability, resilience, agility, technological agnosticism, and easier maintenance. However, businesses must be aware of the implementation challenges of microservices. These could include distributed and operational complexity, data inconsistency, and ensuring robust security.
Containers
Containers are a lightweight and portable approach to packaging and deploying software applications. A container is a standard software unit containing everything businesses need to run an application, including code, runtime, system tools, libraries, and settings.
Cuing back to the CNCF report, around 61% of backend developers were making use of this cloud-native technology in Q3 2021, up from 56% in Q3 2020. This is precisely because containers facilitate portability, consistency, efficiency, scalability, security, and DevOps integration. However, like microservices, there are certain implementation challenges associated with container-based solutions that businesses must be aware of. These include technological complexity, security, compatibility, etc.
Serverless Computing
Serverless computing, which also encompasses Function-as-a-Service (FaaS), is a cloud computing model where the cloud provider manages the infrastructure required to run an application. This allows developers to focus on writing code without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. Serverless computing supports elastic workloads by automatically scaling resources up or down based on demand.
All in all, cloud-native technologies help to support elastic workloads by providing a scalable and efficient infrastructure that can adjust to changes in demand. By using these technologies, organizations can save costs and improve performance by ensuring that resources are used efficiently.
What Role Does Multi-Cloud Play?
Multi-cloud refers to the use of multiple cloud computing services from different providers to achieve a variety of business objectives. This can include using multiple public clouds, private clouds, or a combination of both. Multi-cloud is closely related to cloud-native development because it enables organizations to take advantage of the unique features and capabilities of different cloud providers while also ensuring that their applications are optimized for each cloud environment.
The benefits of multi-cloud are numerous. By using multiple cloud providers, organizations can:
- Avoid vendor lock-in
- Reduce the risk of service disruptions
- Improve performance by selecting the most appropriate cloud service for each workload
- Achieve greater resilience and redundancy by distributing workloads across multiple clouds
In the past, multi-cloud was primarily driven by cost savings and risk mitigation. However, as the space has evolved, organizations are now using multi-cloud to achieve a variety of business objectives. For example, organizations are using multi-cloud to achieve geographic redundancy and regulatory compliance and to take advantage of specialized services offered by specific cloud providers.
Cloud-native development is a key enabler of multi-cloud because it allows applications to be designed and deployed in a way that is optimized for the unique features and capabilities of different cloud providers. This means that organizations can take full advantage of the benefits of multi-cloud without sacrificing performance or functionality.
The multi-cloud space is evolving rapidly, with new tools and technologies emerging to support the unique challenges of managing and deploying applications across multiple clouds. Flexera's 2023 State of the Cloud Report reveals that about 87% of the surveyed organizations have already embraced multi-cloud in one or the other ways.
As organizations continue adopting multi-cloud strategies, cloud providers are responding by offering new services and features designed to make managing and optimizing multi-cloud environments easier. The report also mentions how 63% of large enterprises are using security-related multi-cloud tools, compared to 68% leveraging FinOps tools.
Overall, multi-cloud is a significant trend in the cloud-native landscape as organizations seek to optimize their cloud infrastructure for performance, cost, and functionality.
Understanding the Concept of Orchestration
Orchestration refers to the process of automating the deployment, configuration, management, and scaling of complex distributed systems or applications. Orchestration software is used to manage the deployment and operation of a system or application by coordinating the activities of multiple services, containers, and virtual machines.
Here are some prominent container orchestration tools:
Kubernetes
Kubernetes, an open-source container orchestration platform, helps automate containerized applications' deployment, scaling, and management. It lays out a flexible and extensible platform for running and orchestrating containers at scale and supports a broad range of container runtimes, including Docker.
Docker Swarm
Docker Swarm is a native clustering and orchestration tool for Docker containers. It enables the deployment and management of containerized applications across multiple hosts, providing features such as load balancing, rolling updates, and service discovery.
Apache Mesos
Apache Mesos is an open-source cluster manager. It provides efficient resource isolation and sharing across distributed applications or frameworks. It enables the deployment and management of containerized applications, as well as other distributed systems, such as Apache Spark, Apache Hadoop, and Apache Cassandra.
Nomad
Nomad is an open-source cluster scheduler and orchestration platform that enables the deployment and management of containers, virtual machines, and standalone applications. It provides features such as automatic scaling, rolling updates, and health checking and can run on various platforms, including public and private clouds, data centers, and edge computing environments.
Best Practices for Cloud Native Architecture
Design for Failure
Designing for failure means anticipating that system components will fail at some point and designing the system to minimize the impact of those failures.
Automate Everything
Automating everything from infrastructure provisioning to application deployment and scaling is essential for achieving the agility and scalability required in cloud-native environments.
Use Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)
CI/CD is a set of practices that enable teams to deliver changes to applications frequently, reliably, and with minimal manual intervention.
Emphasize Security
Security is a critical concern in cloud-native environments. It is crucial to implement security at all layers of the architecture, including network security, identity and access management, and data security.
Use Monitoring and Logging
It is essential for understanding the performance and health of cloud-native applications. This includes monitoring the availability, performance, and usage of applications and infrastructure, as well as logging application and system events for troubleshooting and analysis.
Manage Configuration and Secrets
Configuration and secrets management is critical for ensuring that applications are deployed consistently and securely across different environments.
Wrapping Up
The future of cloud-native architecture looks promising as more organizations move towards modern, cloud-native approaches to application development and deployment. The focus on the aforementioned architectures is bound to increase, and so is the use of hybrid cloud and serverless technologies.
Also, as organizations embark on the cloud-native journey, there will be more emphasis on security and observability.
Interested in learning more about the viability of cloud-native architecture for your development initiatives? Talk to our experts today!
