Ready for the era of cloud-native apps

The demand for cloud-native apps is steadily rising since companies have experienced the indispensable benefits of cloud-native computing in several industries.

Undoubtedly, cloud services are the new norm for both in-house and outsource mobile app development globally. Evidently, IDG reported that over 90% of company respondents decided to add cloud computing strategies on their way. Indeed, the way to cloud service migration for the old system is causing disruption in the software development industry.

Alternatively, to catch the trends, you should consider cloud native app development, which builds an app directly to launch in the cloud service. Accordingly, cloud-native apps currently become lucrative room for software development.

Related article: All you need to know for building agile software development team

So, what topics should be taken into consideration when it comes to cloud-native apps? In this article, we will introduce the popular concept of cloud-native apps and the term cloud-native computing. Additionally, we will mention the cloud-native 12 factors for launching these apps, following by some notices about cloud services.

The concept of Cloud-native apps

Basically, cloud-native apps present technologies and methodologies in mobile app development, which could successfully operate in cloud computing. Hence, cloud-native apps are not the only application, but it expresses the collection of services for creating customers values in the mobile app development process.

Cloud-native meaning

So, before continuing with cloud-native apps, we should approach the concept of cloud-native. In fact, cloud-native emphasized the property and methodology, which enable an app to run consistently in all cloud service models, including public, private, and hybrid clouds. The application development leveraging the cloud-native model would approach better scalability and capacity in the market.   

In terms of cloud-native, it accelerates automation that users and clients get a better advantage in usage. Expressly, companies approach cloud-native is believed to rapidly and suitably serve customer demands by reducing the development and launch time.  

On the other hand, cloud-native apps tend to be a complexity that required the assistance of several technologies. Whereby DevOps refers to an example that it attaches to the process of cloud-native development to keep it smoothly and securely. Besides, cloud-native also consists of the combination of continuous delivery and microservices.

Related article: Application migration strategy

What is cloud-native computing?

Similarly, cloud-native computing emphasizes a software development concept. In which software developers applied cloud computing to build a native app running in a dynamic environment. In cloud-native computing, the architecture should take the four factors below into consideration.

• DevOps focuses on collaboration and assures product quality. With DevOps, developers could cut down the development time by accelerating the building, testing, and releasing process  
• Continuous delivery: Adding more automation in the software development process. Continuous delivery offers a reliable way to release the software with low risk.    
• Microservices enable cloud-native apps developed as a set of micro products, in which each product operates in its own process. This set is integrated by APIs. Indeed, the terms of microservices have some similarity with Lego in that the app can be built by putting several parts in their place. Additionally, those API can be reusable for future mobile app development.  
• Containers: The concept suggests that the source code in building a cloud-native app can be warped into configuration and dependencies via isolated resource procedures.  

Cloud-native apps 12 factors  

The twelve-factor app currently catching community attention since it is believed to have well-structured and high security. Basically, the twelve-factor cloud-native was developed by Google with steady adjustment. Initially, the Cloud-native 12 factors help the app running smoothly and securely in the Google cloud. Not limited to Google cloud, currently, the concept of Cloud-native 12 factor is widely used in could native app running for other cloud services. 

Cloud-native apps development  

In practice, cloud-native app development seemingly applied in outsource mobile app development, but not in-house development. It is due to the fact that the doubt about cloud infrastructure did not meet the market expectation is remaining. As a result, cloud-native computing currently executes in single development projects instead of the large system. Obviously, it benefits cloud application development services since they can make money from the rising demand in the market.   

Cloud application development services  

In research, cloud-native apps have several advantages in comparison with the traditional app development methodology. 

1. Resilience optimization in building cloud-native apps: the containers in cloud-native computing can form the way developers coding based on predictable behaviors. 
2. Proper app development capacity: The cloud-native platform currently offers structural configuration, which can be adjusted depending on unique application needs.
3. Better collaboration: Overhead geographic barrier, cloud-native app development assures the collaboration among developers from a different location. DevOps in cloud-native integrate processes and tools to make smooth production between developers and operation teams.  
4. Enhancing automation: As mention above, the nature of cloud-native apps highly supports automation, which reduces the downtime of human effort. Automating systems tend to be the hook in modern cloud-native architecture. Hence, following the rule in the cloud system, developers could approach the next level of ad-hoc automation. 
5. Offer rapid recovery: with microservices architecture, cloud application development adding elastic scaling to cloud-native apps. Since the apps are assembled by separated APIs, any failure or bug, occurred in a part of the app has less impact on the others. Developers could handily detect and fix it without putting extreme effort into the rebuilt process.  

Related article: An introduction to microservice

Despite the above benefits, cloud-native app development also comes up with challenges to in-house developers. Of which they are lack experience and facing a labor shortage. In this case, the born of cloud application development services would expectedly accelerate innovation in this sector. It enables companies or corporates to catch up with the demand for cloud-native apps, while the in-house team has more room for R&D activities.

The cloud-native apps trend in outsource mobile app development

1. Data and cybersecurity concern: In fact, cloud-native computing requires interaction among vendors through an open platform. Hence, information sharing among cloud vendors is indispensable, which potentially breaks down the security barriers. In the future, it is necessary to form the unified data standards, that all development teams and cloud parties have to follow. 
2. Cloud collaboration among dedicated development teams and cloud computing: Currently, you can handily find some tools that enable multi-person communication. Unfortunately, all of them are under full utilization. Technology innovation that enables full collaboration among humans and machines would offset the future effort of the IT industry. 
3. Cloud-Native integrated development environment (Cloud-native IDEs): from 2021, there would be a surge transformation in coding that developers are ready to move their operation from local IDEs to Cloud-native IDEs. Several big IT companies, including Facebook, Amazon, or Google have started to switch to VS Code system. The movement to Cloud Native is believed to have some similarities when people started doing tasks on their smartphones, which only executed on computers. Accordingly, it could consist of challenges at the beginning, but its future is indispensable. In expectation, developers would thoroughly go with cloud-native IDEs by 2025. 

Related article: cybersecurity ecosystem

In conclusion, the era of cloud-native apps has knocked our door with undeniable benefits to all players in the IT market. Unfortunately, companies and developers have a long journey to capture its advantages.