This is an article about cloud-native architecture. It discusses the benefits of cloud-native applications, such as faster development cycles, platform independence, and reduced costs. It also details the key components of cloud-native architecture, such as microservices, containers, and Kubernetes. Some of the essential points from this article are that cloud-native applications are highly scalable and resilient and that they can help businesses to achieve digital transformation.

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Its Benefits and Key Components
successive.tech/blog/exploring-cloud-native-architecture-its-benefits-and-key-components/
Cloud Native Architecture Blog Series Part 1 – Exploring Cloud
Native Architecture: Its Benefits And Key Components
Cloud Native Architecture Blog Series Part 1: In this first installment of our blog
series, we will delve into the advantages and foundational building blocks of Cloud
Native Architectures numerous benefits associated with adopting a Cloud Native
approach.
To compete in a digital world and reap the benefits of disruptive technologies, cloud-
native applications help businesses adapt processes and technologies. By embracing
cloud-native technologies, businesses can effectively implement swift and frequent
application changes without disrupting service delivery. Businesses can also rapidly
innovate and increase their revenue while delivering high-quality offerings to their
customers. This empowers them with a distinct competitive advantage, enabling
automated processes to thrive in their operations. Let’s understand what is cloud-native?
Cloud-native is an innovative approach used for building, deploying, and managing
modern applications in cloud computing environments. Cloud-native applications include
microservices architecture, container orchestration with Kubernetes, microservices, API,
serverless, etc. It relies on the features of specific cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure
or Google Cloud.

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According to GlobeNewswire, The Global Cloud Native Applications Market size is
projected to reach $16.2 billion by 2028, rising at a market growth of 22.9% CAGR during
the forecast period 2022 -2028.
Another research from Gartner has also predicted that by 2025, more than 85% of
organizations will embrace a cloud-first principle and will not be able to fully execute their
digital strategies without the use of cloud-native architectures and technologies.
About CNCF
The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) is an open-source foundation that is
pivotal in guiding organizations on their cloud-native journey. Since its establishment in
2015, CNCF has been dedicated to supporting the development of crucial cloud-native
components, with Kubernetes being a prominent example.
Let Us Understand What Is Cloud-Native Applications?
Cloud-native applications are distributed applications consisting of multiple
interconnected cloud native services. In contrast to traditional monolithic applications
encompassing all functionalities within a single structure, cloud-native applications adopt
a different approach. Developers leverage the cloud-native methodology to break down
these functionalities into smaller, more manageable small services and leverage cloud
based PaaS services etc. AWS Lambda, Azure Functions etc.. This architectural shift
enables greater agility, as each service operates independently and consumes minimal
computing resources during runtime.
Let us explore the differences between traditional enterprise applications and
cloud-native applications.
Traditional enterprise applications were developed using less flexible software
development methods. As a result, developers would work on a large set of application
functionalities before releasing them for testing and deployment. As a result, traditional
enterprise applications had longer deployment times and lacked scalability.
On the other hand, cloud-native applications development follow a collaborative approach
and offer high scalability and flexibility across various platforms. Developers employ
software tools that heavily automate cloud-native applications’ building, testing, and
deployment processes. Quick setup, deployment, and duplication of microservices are
possible in cloud-native applications, which is not feasible with traditional applications.
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How Does A Cloud-Native Approach Benefit Businesses?

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1. Faster Development Cycle
The cloud-native approach enables developers to accelerate the development process
and deliver higher-quality applications. By leveraging containerization, Serverless
technologies and adopting DevSecOps practices, developers can build application
components that are ready for deployment. This allows for quick and frequent updates
without the need to shut down the entire application. As a result, developers can respond
swiftly to changes and iterate rapidly, ensuring faster time to market.
2. Platform Independence
Developers are benefited from platform independence by building and deploying
applications in the cloud. They get the consistency and reliability of the operating systems
and can focus on delivering value-added features and functionalities in applications
without managing the underlying infrastructure.
3. Reduced Cost

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By utilizing resources more efficiently through the microservices architecture, businesses
can optimize infrastructure usage and scale resources according to demand. Also, cloud-
native applications leverage pay-as-you-go models that allow businesses to avoid upfront
infrastructure investments and pay only for the resources when they are in use.
4. Improved Reliability
Cloud-native applications are built with a distributed architecture consisting of multiple
microservices. Each microservice operates independently and can be replicated across
different nodes, enhancing reliability. If one microservice fails, the overall application can
continue functioning as other microservices can take over the workload. This approach
improves fault tolerance, reduces the impact of failures, and increases overall application
reliability.
5. Resiliency
A well-designed cloud-native application can survive even in the case of outages.
Resiliency can be achieved by implementing techniques such as self-healing, auto-
scaling, and load balancing. With this approach, applications can automatically detect and
recover from failures, ensuring minimal downtime and providing a seamless user
experience.
6. Business Agility
Cloud-native applications offer increased business agility by enabling faster development
cycles and flexible deployment processes. The modular nature of microservices allows for
independent development, testing, and deployment of individual components. This
enables teams to work in parallel, iterate quickly, and release new features or updates
rapidly.
7. Automation
Cloud-native applications heavily leverage automation throughout the development,
testing, deployment, and scaling processes. Automation tools and technologies enable
streamlined workflows, reducing manual efforts and minimizing human errors. Continuous
integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines automate the build, security
testing, and deployment phases, ensuring faster and more reliable software delivery.
Also read – Cloud Migration: Challenges and Benefits
Key Components Of Cloud-Native Application Architecture
Cloud-native application architecture encompasses several crucial components that
enable the development of modern, scalable, and resilient applications. These key
components include:
Immutable Infrastructure

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Within the cloud-native architecture, development teams utilize a range of software
components to construct and manage scalable cloud-native applications. The Cloud
Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) recognizes immutable infrastructure,
microservices, declarative APIs, containers, and service meshes as the foundational
pillars of cloud-native architecture. These components work together to enable the
development and operation of resilient and adaptable cloud-native applications.
Microservices
Microservices are small, independent software components that collectively form a
complete cloud-native application. They are designed to be loosely coupled, allowing
them to communicate with each other while remaining independent. Developers can
make changes to the application by working on individual microservices, ensuring that the
overall application continues to function even if one microservice fails.
Serverless
Serverless computing is an important part of cloud-native applications, which is also
called the Function as a Service (FaaS) model, where developers write and deploy
individual functions triggered by events or HTTP requests. Automatic scaling ensures
resources are dynamically allocated based on demand. Functions are stateless, and data
is stored in external services. Serverless seamlessly integrates with other cloud-native
services and APIs, enabling the creation of complex and modular architectures. This
combination empowers developers to focus on functions, achieve efficient resource
utilization, and benefit from cost-effective and scalable applications.
API
An Application Programming Interface (API) is a method used by two or more software
programs to exchange information. In cloud-native systems, APIs play a crucial role in
connecting loosely coupled microservices. Instead of specifying the steps to achieve a
particular outcome, APIs define the data a microservice requires and the results it can
provide. This approach enables effective communication and integration between
different microservices.
Service Mesh
A service mesh is a software layer within the cloud infrastructure that manages
communication between multiple microservices. It provides a centralized and configurable
platform for handling service-to-service communication, authentication, and other cross-
cutting concerns. Developers can introduce additional functionalities to the application
through the service mesh without modifying the application’s code directly.
Containers Orchestration With Kubernetes

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Container orchestration with Kubernetes is the fundamental building block of cloud-native
applications. They encapsulate the microservice code and all necessary files required for
the application to run. By containerizing microservices, cloud-native applications can run
independently of the underlying operating system and hardware. This flexibility enables
developers to deploy cloud-native applications on various environments, including on-
premises, cloud infrastructure, or hybrid clouds. Containers package microservices along
with their dependencies, such as resource files, libraries, and scripts needed for the main
application’s execution.
A Reference Architecture For Implementing Cloud-Native
Application Architecture
Additionally, in cloud-native architecture, DevSecOps and observability go hand in hand
and help developers to build cloud-native applications in a modern environment. Identity
and Access Management (IAM) are built on the selected cloud and enable businesses to
secure their data and applications from unauthorized access, data breaches, and other
security risks, enhancing the overall security posture of cloud-native applications.
Get our Cloud & DevSecOps Services to make your cloud journey easier.
Conclusion
Cloud-native applications play an important role in driving digital transformations. By
focusing on its key technologies and processes, businesses can deploy innovative
applications. The projected market growth of the cloud-native applications industry further
underscores its importance. Overall, cloud-native applications and their functionality offer
a distinct competitive advantage, empowering businesses to thrive in the digital era.