Difference between cloud native and cloud computing?

Terms like “cloud native” and “cloud computing” are widely used in today’s quickly changing technological environment. However, these expressions have unique meanings and contribute in different ways to the development of enterprises’ digital infrastructure. To further comprehend the relevance and ramifications of the differences between cloud native and cloud computing, let’s dive in.

Introduction

Cloud technology has revolutionized the way businesses operate, enabling them to scale, innovate, and adapt efficiently. Two prominent concepts in this realm are cloud computing and cloud-native development.

Defining of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing involves delivering computing services such as storage, processing power, and networking over the internet. It allows businesses to access and use resources without the need for on-premises hardware. Services like Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) fall under the cloud computing umbrella.

Cloud Computing:

Advantages:

• On-demand scalability: pay for what you use, easily scale resources up or down as needed.
• Cost-effectiveness: no upfront hardware costs, eliminates maintenance overhead.
• Increased agility: faster development and deployment cycles, quicker time to market.
• Global reach: Access resources from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Improved reliability: high availability and disaster recovery built-in.

Disadvantages:

• Vendor lock-in: It can be difficult to switch between cloud providers.
• Security concerns: Sharing resources requires strong security measures.
• Limited control: Relies on the cloud provider for some services and infrastructure.
• Network latency: Network latency can impact performance for geographically distributed users.

Defining of Cloud Native

Cloud native, on the other hand, goes beyond utilizing cloud services. It refers to building and running applications designed specifically for the cloud environment. Cloud-native applications are developed using a microservices architecture, where functionalities are divided into smaller, independent services. This approach enhances flexibility, resilience, and scalability.

Advantages:

• Highly scalable and resilient: Applications can easily adapt to changing demands and failures.
• Continuous delivery and deployment: faster development and update cycles.
• Microservices architecture: easier to manage and update individual components.
• Leverages cloud services: takes advantage of built-in cloud capabilities like auto-scaling and load balancing.
• Improved developer experience: Focus on specific functionalities without managing infrastructure.

Disadvantages:

• Increased complexity: Microservices and containers add complexity to architecture and management.
• Skills gap: requires specialized skills for development and operations.
• Monitoring and observability: Monitoring distributed systems can be challenging.
• Security challenges: Securing containers and microservices requires special attention.

Differences between cloud computing and cloud native

Conclusion

In summary, while cloud computing provides a pathway to move existing systems to the cloud, cloud native development is about architecting applications from the ground up to take full advantage of cloud features. The choice between the two depends on an organization’s goals, existing infrastructure, and future scalability needs.

FAQs