This article looks at the cloud-native architecture, the design principles you should keep in mind, and the features that make up a good cloud-native platform.
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When it comes to designing a cloud-native data system, there’s no particular hosting infrastructure, programming language, or design pattern that you should use. Cloud-native systems are available in various sizes and shapes. However, it is true that most of them follow the same cloud-native design principles. Let’s take a look at the cloud-native architecture, the design principles you should keep in mind, and the features that make up a good cloud-native platform.
A cloud-native architecture is essentially a design pattern for apps built for the cloud. While there’s no specific way of implementing this kind of architecture or a pre-defined cloud-native design, the most common approach is to break up the application into several microservices and let each microservice handle a different kind of function. Each microservice is then maintained by a small team and is typically deployed as a container.
Let’s take a closer look at the architecture.
Cloud-native design and development depend on a loosely coupled architecture, where different parts of the applications are developed, operated, and deployed independently. This is usually implemented using microservices.
It’s safe to say that microservices form the foundation of cloud-native systems. You can benefit from them by using containers that allow you to compress the runtime environment and its libraries, binaries, and dependencies into a logical and easily manageable unit. As a result, application services can be stored, duplicated, transported, and used as needed.
Unlike monolithic applications, microservices comprise small independent services.
Microservices (or loosely coupled architecture) are important for cloud computing for several reasons. For instance, it promotes simplicity, scalability, and resilience. So let’s take a closer look at how that’s possible.
With this architecture, you can break down complex applications into small independent parts, making the app development cycle simple and easier to manage. Separating the app configuration and base code also makes developing and maintaining the app easier. Along the same lines, keeping the core application separate from the backing services allows the codebase to evolve and expand at its own pace.
Plus, it’s easier (and also faster) to scale up or down individual parts of one application instead of a whole monolithic app. Similarly, updating the app is easier since you have to update just the part (or microservice) that needs to be changed instead of deploying a new, updated version of the whole app again.
Embracing microservices also adds resilience and makes the app more reliable. For example, if one component in a microservices architecture fails, the whole application won’t crash. It also promotes IaC (Infrastructure as Code), which, in turn, paves the way for automated deployment (which we’ll get to in just a bit). And finally, the microservice architecture involves using stateless processes and components via APIs, isolating each microservice from others, leading to better security and efficiency.
To ensure that your application follows the loosely coupled architecture, you must avoid making tightly coupled dependencies between the different parts. For instance, two microservices shouldn’t depend on the same database. If they do, you won’t be able to update and operate them independently.
While it’s important to use microservices to benefit from modern applications, it’s also important to adopt automation practices. This aims to optimize the app development process and benefit both developers and users. For this, the ultimate goal is to achieve EaC — Everything as Code. Therefore, consider EaC as a step ahead of IaC, which comprises the app code base, infrastructure, and platform.
There are numerous benefits of this approach in terms of both hardware and software. For instance, it helps to implement version control at various levels and improves interdepartmental collaboration. It also facilitates the modularity of different components and enhances security via timely updates that help prevent vulnerabilities.
One key aspect of cloud-native data systems is the ability to implement automation at different levels using CI/CD tools. By adopting DevOps and agile principles, you can enjoy several benefits such as lower operational costs, better security, more flexibility, scalability, and fast cycle development.
Security, in particular, is very important. Manual handling often leads to attacks on cloud-native platforms, but implementing the best security practices via automation can really improve security. Plus, SecDevOps in CI/CD allows you to perform security testing in the early stages of the SDLC so that you can deal with the vulnerabilities early on in the development phase.
Developers are usually focused on code-first development instead of API-first development, but the problem is this approach is not the best for developing modern apps.
