Cloud native is a technology to develop applications designed to support cloud computing models. Cloud native applications are scalable based on your workload and support sharing resources with an idea to let technology support your company to build and run the scalable system.
Cloud native approach can support every environment. It is a technique to enable loosely coupled systems with auto recovery (resilient), manageable and observable functions.
Cloud native is composed of the following 4 main factors:
- Microservice
It is the concept of separating each functional module independently from each other. Each microservice manages its own data and communication between microservices can be done via APIs.
With this design, application development becomes more flexible, and the development tasks can be assigned to many development teams. As a result, applications are built faster, and easy to be enhanced or modified without affecting the entire system.
2. Container
Container technology is used for installing cloud native applications without any configuration in any environment. The container helps you to manage storage size. The advantages of containers compared to the traditional virtual machine are that containers are up to 100 times smaller, and they use actual processing resources under the same hardware capabilities, so the applications are scalable.
With the above-mentioned features of the container, you can easily and quickly change your cloud-based applications to run on public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud. Moreover, the cost is calculated based on actual use, so you can save your budget.
3. Continuous Delivery
You can deliver the applications continuously and automatically by the system to support the business needs in a timely manner. This helps you to forecast the next version of the application and quickly respond to customer needs.
4. Development and Operation Culture
DevOps (Development Operations) is a concept of changing the mind set of development team and operations team to a teamwork, aiming to build mutual goal of developing and delivering applications to customers. By using this methodology, you can make effective use of your limited resources, resulting to the faster growth of your business.

Advantages of Cloud Native
- Cloud-native applications can run on every infrastructure of cloud, not limited to specific providers. You can move to other platforms promptly with less restriction and no need to pay for more additional resources or take so much time.
- Cloud native can be scaled up or down quickly.
- It can communicate between services via API (Application Programming Interface).
- It automates workload on cloud, so you can launch your application without decreasing its quality.
- Development teams and operation teams can collaborate without focusing just only their role, so you can build a DevOps culture.
- You can control the application usage and scale the application based on the actual use. Capital expenditure (CAPEX) of IT investment in your company can be managed. For example, you can purchase hardware which is able to support your application scalability in case of on-premises. Moreover, you can also manage the operation expenditures (OPEX) in case of leasing cloud based on the actual use.
Conclusion
Cloud native is an approach of application development to support cloud computing. The application is designed to be flexible and applicable to modern cloud computing as well as being scalable.
In the digital age, many things have changed due to various factors. Cloud native has become a remarkable concept in cloud computing business. It brings about new technology to support market competition which requires cost effective strategy.
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