What Is Cloud Native?

The cloud is quickly becoming a core element for digital services. Cloud native is the software development strategy for building, releasing, and managing expansible applications in cloud computing environments. Gartner projects that by 2025, over 95 percent of new digital workloads will be deployed on cloud-native platforms, a considerable rise from 30 percent in 2021 [1]. 

To reaffirm the projection, according to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) 2023 annual report, 66 percent of respondents said their organization is already using cloud-native technologies [2]. The cloud is evidently assuming a central role in modern software application development. It finds its application a trusted solution for hosting local apps by government agencies and private firms. 

For instance, cloud.gov, a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) provided by the United States General Services Administration (GSA), enables federal entities to deploy and operate cloud-native applications in a secure and compliant environment.

Read on to gain insight into cloud-native apps, including their benefits, notable characteristics, use cases, and more.

What is cloud native?

The CNCF, a non-profit organization backed by the Linux Foundation, defines cloud native tech as a modern approach to developing and running scalable applications in dynamic environments like public, private, and hybrid clouds.

Some key components of cloud-native architecture include the following: 

• Immutable infrastructure

• Microservices

• Declarative APIs

• Containers

• Service meshes

When the components above are combined with automation, cloud native tech allows development teams to make significant application changes with little effort.

Read more: How to Learn Cloud Computing: 5 Steps to Get Started

Cloud vs. cloud native

Before we dive into cloud-native applications, it's important to grasp the distinction between cloud and cloud native.

Although cloud and cloud native are closely related, they are not interchangeable. Cloud, or cloud computing, refers to the on-demand delivery of computing resources over the internet via cloud services platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure. Notably, you only pay for the resources you use.

Meanwhile, cloud native is a software development approach that emphasizes scalability, reliability, and high performance to align applications and services with cloud architectures. It's a way of building and delivering applications optimized for the cloud environment.

Read more: 5 Cloud Certifications to Start Your Cloud Career

What are cloud-native applications?

Cloud-native applications contain the dynamic and decentralized nature of the cloud. They differ from traditional, inflexible applications that function as a single unit with close dependencies, making them difficult to change, test, deploy, and operate.

Cloud-native applications are designed to be modular and consist of multiple standalone services, or microservices, that can be deployed and scaled separately. They use technologies such as DevOps, continuous integration, microservices, containers, and declarative APIs. This approach allows teams to make updates or fixes and install new features without a break in service. 

Benefits offered by cloud-native applications

Some notable benefits of cloud-native applications, also known as native cloud applications, are as follows.

• Limited vendor lock-in: Open-source cloud-native apps enable interoperability and workload portability, reducing vendor lock-in.

• Compact in size: Smaller than traditional apps, cloud-native apps provide flexible deployment options across networks, making them easier to develop and maintain.

• Zero downtime: Cloud-native tech such as Kubernetes allows zero downtime software updates.

The significance of cloud-native landscape

The cloud native landscape is a guide managed by the CNCF that gathers, classifies, and arranges all open-source tools and solutions useful for cloud-native applications. It includes four layers and two columns. Let’s start by understanding the layers.

1. Provisioning: The first of the four, this layer includes tools to help you establish and secure the base infrastructure that serves as the foundation for cloud-native applications

2. Runtime: The runtime layer contains all the necessary components to enable a container to operate within a cloud-native environment.

3. Orchestration and management: This layer provides tools to manage and connect your cloud-native applications.

4. App definition and development: Dubbed the top layer of the CNCF cloud native landscape, this layer includes tools to build apps.

Now, let’s comprehend the two columns of the CNCF cloud native landscape.

1. Observability and analysis: This category focuses on observing and analyzing all aspects of your application to detect and address any anomalies promptly, ensuring no service disruption.

2. Platforms: The platforms assist in configuring and fine-tuning different modules to facilitate an organization’s cloud adoption.

Pros and cons of the cloud-native approach

The cloud-native architecture has several merits; however, it also has limitations. The following are a few notable pros and cons.

Advantages

• Automation: Cloud-native methodologies provide numerous automation possibilities for developers, allowing them to tackle other high-priority, time-sensitive tasks.

• Reliability: Hyper-scale cloud service providers enhance the cloud's redundancy through the geographic distribution of their data centers, enabling swift traffic redirection during outages.

Disadvantages

• Rearchitecting: Restructuring existing on-premises applications to fit cloud native norms can be challenging.

• Mindset shift: Organizations are less likely to shift from the traditional Waterfall deployment model.

Cloud-native salary 

According to Glassdoor, the estimated total pay for a cloud native engineer in the US is $173,037 per year [4]. This figure includes an average base salary of $121,489 and $51,548 in additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, or bonuses.

If you wish to pursue a career in cloud-native technologies, consider exploring the following job roles associated with the cloud.

1. Cloud DevOps engineer

Average annual base salary (US): $108,364 [5]

As a cloud DevOps engineer, you’ll use your knowledge of cloud platforms, engineering, and programming to create and develop cloud solutions within an organization. You may also assist in analyzing data to improve existing software systems.

2. Cloud solutions architect 

Average annual base salary (US): $143,241 [6]

As a cloud solutions architect, your main responsibilities will include designing cloud infrastructures and processes, documenting IT procedures, monitoring project progress, and maintaining a strong focus on security for an organization’s cloud computing system. 

3. Kubernetes developer

Average annual base salary (US): $77,735 [7]

As a Kubernetes developer, you’d be responsible for designing and implementing software solutions for container orchestration using Kubernetes, an open-source platform for deploying and scaling applications. You may also work on cloud platforms like AWS and Microsoft Azure.

Getting started with Coursera

Gain a deeper insight into cloud-native technologies with the Get Started with Cloud Native, DevOps, Agile, and NoSQL course offered by IBM on Coursera. Topics covered include cloud-native applications, modernizing apps, and more. You may also consider Red Hat’s Managing Cloud-Native Applications With Kubernetes course. This intermediate-level course is designed for those with one year of professional development experience. Upon completion of either course, gain a shareable certificate to include in your resume, CV, or LinkedIn profile.