What is cloud-native application development?

Cloud-native application development refers to the practice of creating applications that are specifically designed to leverage the advantages of cloud environments. Such applications are built to optimize the capabilities provided by cloud computing, which include scalability, flexibility, resilience, and rapid deployment. This approach encourages the use of microservices architecture, containerization, and dynamic orchestration, allowing applications to efficiently use distributed resources and respond to changes in demand seamlessly.

In contrast to approaches that prioritize on-premise resources or aim for broad compatibility with different infrastructures, cloud-native development focuses on utilizing the cloud's unique features. By being designed for cloud environments, these applications can take full advantage of cloud services, enabling developers to innovate faster and provide better services to users.

This distinction is critical as cloud-native architectures fundamentally change the way applications are built, deployed, and maintained, fostering a paradigm that supports continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD). Therefore, identifying an application as "cloud-native" highlights that it is purposefully constructed for the fluid, scalable, and dynamic nature of cloud computing, making it adaptable and efficient in a cloud-based context.