☸️ Container orchestration (Kubernetes)
Kubernetes is an open source container orchestration platform that makes managing large container groups easier.
What is cloud native? And what advantages does cloud native development offer?
What is cloud native? What does it mean for web application development? And what are the benefits of building a web app in a cloud native way? You'll discover it in this blog!
Cloud native is a method of developing (web)applications specifically designed to run on the cloud. These applications are scalable, make use of cloud services, and have a faster time-to-market.
What is cloud native (development)?
Cloud native is a way of developing modern (web)applications and building infrastructure, specifically designed to run in the cloud. But that's not all: a cloud native (web)app also makes optimal use of the cloud architecture and its services. Often, a cloud native application is split into smaller, functional elements: microservices. Microservices are connected in a standardized way, for example, through APIs, data streaming, or message buses. An optimally built cloud native application goes beyond just microservices. Such an app leverages the possibilities of automation and (automatic) scaling that come with using the cloud. The cloud is set up so that cloud services take over the complexity of server management.
CNCF, the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, defines cloud native as "cloud-native technologies empower organizations to build and run scalable applications in modern, dynamic environments such as public, private, and hybrid clouds. Containers, service meshes, microservices, immutable infrastructure, and declarative APIs exemplify this approach."
What do you need for cloud native development?
To develop in a cloud native manner, an application must be split into microservices AND the collaboration between these microservices must be defined. This brings new challenges. Microservices are stateless; they don't store data. Data (such as images and files) must be stored in central databases or object storage.
For a cloud native application, you develop functionalities as much as possible separately in microservices. These must then be tested both individually and within the whole. With many microservices, you'll need to extensively automate testing and deployment to avoid time-consuming work.
Additionally, you need a cloud provider that supplies you with cloud computing technology and cloud services. The interaction with cloud services is quite technical and very specific. For this, you need a developer with operations knowledge: a DevOps engineer. If your cloud native application runs on Kubernetes, you'll also need specific knowledge for this platform.
What are the advantages of cloud native development?
The advantages of cloud native development are very similar to those of microservices. If your web app is properly divided into smaller functional parts, you're already developing partially in a cloud native way.
The benefits of microservices include: the ability to work in small, autonomous teams; flexibility in technology choice; and increased productivity of development teams.
In addition, there are these advantages of cloud native development:
🚀 Faster deployment of new releases
Cloud native development, working with microservices, (test) automation, and an (automatic) CI/CD pipeline help accelerate the release process. This allows you to roll out (smaller) releases more quickly and have a shorter time to market for features that respond to customer feedback or (new) market demands.
🧑💻 Scalable applications
When a cloud native application is well-developed, it runs perfectly in the cloud. The application is then scalable, agile, and highly automated. Updated or new code can be tested and deployed to production more quickly.
⛅️ Easier cloud management through platform-as-a-service
The cloud of your choice for your webapp is set up according to the 'as a service' principle. This gives you more options regarding what you need to manage yourself and what you leave to a specialized partner. Especially with platform-as-a-service, you no longer have to worry about cloud hosting and can focus completely on development.
What is cloud native architecture?
Cloud native architecture consists of elements needed to run an application in the cloud.
🧑💻 Immutable infrastructure
Immutable infrastructure is a requirement for cloud native applications. If a server fails, another server with the same infrastructure must be able to take over. For many cloud native applications, the configuration of the cloud environment is defined in code: Infrastructure as Code. This code tells the cloud what type of infrastructure needs to be set up.
🧑💻 Service mesh
A service mesh is an abstraction layer for your application. This specific layer handles communication between microservices, instead of having to manually code how each microservice should communicate. A service mesh also gives you insight into and control over the communication.
🧑💻 Declarative APIs
With a declarative API, you specify the desired state of the endpoint, rather than direct commands.
🪈 CI/CD
Due to the split into microservices, modified or new application code is often automatically deployed in a CI/CD pipeline (Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery). The goal of this method is to deploy code faster and with fewer errors in a stable and high-quality production environment.
What should I consider when it comes to cloud native security?
Because a cloud native app is structured differently from a traditional app, cloud native security also differs from traditional security. For optimal security of applications running in Kubernetes, there's the 4C model for cloud native security: code, container, cluster, and cloud. Each of these layers has its own form of security.
The ecosystem of your webapp: cloud native landscape
Cloud native development is closely related to the ecosystem in which your clusters and microservices exist. For example, you need service meshes, a container orchestration platform, and tools for runtime, networking, and provisioning. The CNCF has compiled a landscape of technologies and tools for this. Fun fact: TrueFullstaq is part of this cloud native landscape!
A specialized partner for your cloud native development
More and more organizations are developing their web app, webshop, or website with microservices and containerization. This offers many advantages, although orchestrating them and managing the underlying infrastructure can be complex. Engineers from TrueFullstaq help you tackle this complexity and manage your infrastructure with Managed Kubernetes from TrueFullstaq.
