Cloud Native
Development approach leveraging cloud advantages: containers, microservices, immutable infrastructure, and declarative automation for scalable and resilient systems.
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What it is
Cloud native is an approach to building applications that fully leverage the cloud computing model. It's not just "running in the cloud" — it's designing systems that exploit elasticity, automation, and managed services.
Pillars
| Pillar | Principle | Key technology |
|---|---|---|
| Containers | Consistent and portable packaging | Docker, containerd |
| Microservices | Small, independent, deployable components | Kubernetes, ECS |
| Immutable infrastructure | Replace instead of modify | IaC, AMIs, images |
| Declarative APIs | Describe desired state, not steps | Kubernetes manifests, CDK |
CNCF (Cloud Native Computing Foundation)
Organization governing cloud native projects:
- Kubernetes (orchestration)
- Prometheus (monitoring)
- Envoy (service mesh)
- Helm (packaging)
- Argo (GitOps, workflows)
Cloud Native vs Cloud Hosted
| Aspect | Cloud Native | Cloud Hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Design | For the cloud | Migrated to cloud |
| Scaling | Automatic, horizontal | Manual or vertical |
| Resilience | Designed in | Added after |
| Deployment | Continuous | Large releases |
Why it matters
Cloud-native is not simply "running in the cloud." It is a set of practices — containers, microservices, CI/CD, immutable infrastructure — that enable building systems that scale, recover from failures, and update without downtime.
References
- CNCF Cloud Native Definition — Official definition.
- Cloud Native Landscape — Project ecosystem.
- CNCF Annual Survey 2023 — CNCF, 2023. State of cloud-native adoption.