Cloud-Native Applications: Examples, Benefits and Development Methods

Developing cloud-native applications is an approach that focuses on how you build and deploy an app.
An application that is truly cloud-native provides a consistent user experience, whether it’s on a public, private, or hybrid cloud.
This method of application development prepares you for both the present day and the future. You can build and update apps quickly, at a higher quality, and with less risk than other methods. In this blog post, we will review cloud-native examples so you can learn the benefits of this innovation.
What is cloud-native software?
Cloud-native software and applications are designed to take full advantage of the benefits of modern cloud computing.
A cloud-native application is built with microservices, which is the opposite approach of monolithic application development. Instead of a single monolithic structure that houses all functionalities, developers can break these up into smaller microservices.
Applications composed of microservices are pieced together like Lego blocks with minimal custom coding, facilitating faster and more reliable development. You can swap or add in new services without extensive integration testing.
Why consider cloud-native applications?
Cloud-native applications take advantage of platforms and processes that were born in the cloud. They’re highly scalable, easy to change, and connect to cloud services to extend capabilities without a lot of coding.
Modern developers design, build, and deliver cloud-native applications with the scalability of the cloud in mind. Cloud-native applications typically use one or more constructs that originated in the cloud.
To take full advantage of cloud-native development, think differently about how you build software. Traditional approaches, with their exhaustive specifications and six-month lead times, need to give way to iterative processes that deliver functionality as quickly as services.
3 examples of cloud-native applications
1. Software containers
Software containers are portable, integrated operating environments encompassing an application and all the software components it needs to run.
Containers are a popular alternative to complex virtual machines because they are:
Once you write an application in a container, you can move it to any platform that supports containers (which is most of them), and the application will run without a hitch. Your application isn’t bound to a single cloud platform. It can run on any device with enough support resources, from a laptop to a supercomputer.
Today, 80% of all cloud containers run on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Kubernetes and Docker are the top open-source container orchestration platforms.
2. Software-defined infrastructure
Software-defined infrastructure (SDI) is an approach that moves the control and management of infrastructure components from the hardware layer to the software layer.
This makes it easy to:
- Scale capacity up and down
- Reallocate resources
- Start and stop services automatically
Cloud-native applications assume that the underlying infrastructure is fluid and adaptable to their needs.
3. Application Program Interfaces (APIs)
APIs are software connectors that expose functionality that other software can use.
APIs make it easy to extend or customize applications without touching the underlying code, which is a good practice to avoid in general. They also enable developers to access rich functionality in other applications.
A good example of an API-enabled cloud-native application is Google Maps. With Google Maps, a developer of a real estate application can integrate mapping functionality from Google into its program by requesting geographic information using APIs.
Imagine how much time the developer can save without having to build map functionality from scratch or install an application on their server,
3 business benefits of cloud-native applications
What makes cloud-native development so valuable? The following qualities have savvy companies paying attention:
1. Adaptability
Cloud-native applications can change with business needs without creating dependencies that lock customers into a particular version of the software.
For example, let’s say a company wants to make an application available on mobile devices. It can build the mobile front end and use APIs to access data on the server without modifying any code on the back end.
This loose coupling allows changes to either application without breaking it.
2. Scalability
Cloud-native applications use software-defined infrastructure to reduce or eliminate hardware dependency. This approach adds commodity servers for horizontal scalability rather than requiring the addition of more expensive processors, storage, and memory to existing servers.
Horizontal scalability is what makes massive cloud services like Amazon and Facebook possible.
3. Portability
Using containers, developers can write applications that run on everything from smartphones to mainframes without changing the code.
With the growing popularity of edge computing, a distributed processing architecture that pushes automated decisions to the far reaches of the network, it’s ideal to have the ability to deploy applications wherever they’re needed.
Legacy systems vs. cloud-native architecture
Most legacy applications can run in the cloud, but they can’t take advantage of the extensibility, scalability, and portability benefits that cloud-native architecture provides.
Legacy systems can still benefit from running on cloud platforms, and there can still be significant value in using APIs or building extensions on top of them using microservices.
Here’s an example. You can replace “green screens” from the mainframe days with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) by selectively exposing input and output fields via APIs that map to GUI-based primitives. Some legacy applications can be completely encapsulated in containers to take advantage of cloud scalability and portability without requiring any code changes.
When legacy systems fail to update beyond server-centric architectures, there is a greater possibility for inefficiency, bottlenecks, and mismanaged systems.
Cloud-native apps, however, are inherently adaptable solutions that offer freedom and flexibility to users and developers.
Best practices for cloud-native development
Working directly with containers, microservices, and APIs is not a task for beginners. However, a low-code platform reduces much of the complexity associated with traditional development methods.
Cloud-native development focuses on how you build and deploy the applications, not where. New Agile development methodologies used by cloud-native firms emphasize modularity, reusability, and frequent code releases. Developers must think in terms of tapping into services that are already available instead of building their own.
Because new services are easy to add, it’s often simpler for the developer to show the end-user customer a new feature in action than to write a spec for it.
There’s no place for “not invented here” thinking when building cloud-native applications. Creativity is expressed in the services developers tap into to create features that delight users. That’s a reward in itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the difference between cloud hosted and cloud-native?
Cloud-hosted applications are traditional apps moved to the cloud without significant modifications. Cloud-native applications, however, are designed and built specifically to leverage cloud technologies. They utilize microservices architecture, containerization, and DevOps practices to maximize scalability, flexibility, and resilience in cloud environments.
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What are the pillars of cloud-native?
The key pillars of cloud-native are:
- microservices architecture
- containerization
- continuous delivery
These are supported by DevOps practices, API-driven communication, and infrastructure-as-code. Together, these pillars enable applications to fully exploit cloud capabilities for rapid deployment, scalability, and resilience.
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What are the 4 Cs of cloud-native?
The 4 Cs of cloud-native are:
- Containers
- Cloud
- Continuous Delivery
- Collaboration
Containers package application components, Cloud provides the infrastructure, Continuous Delivery ensures rapid and reliable updates, and Collaboration refers to the DevOps culture essential for cloud-native development and operations.
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Is cloud-native the same as SaaS?
No, cloud-native and SaaS (Software as a Service) are not the same. Cloud-native refers to how applications are built and deployed, optimized for cloud environments. SaaS is a software delivery model where applications are centrally hosted and licensed on a subscription basis. While many SaaS applications are cloud-native, not all cloud-native applications are SaaS.
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What is the difference between cloud-native and cloud enabled applications?
Cloud-native applications are built specifically for cloud environments, utilizing microservices, containers, and DevOps practices.
Cloud-enabled applications, on the other hand, are traditional applications that have been modified or “lifted and shifted” to run in the cloud.
Cloud-native apps fully leverage cloud capabilities, while cloud-enabled apps may have limited cloud optimization.