Jausovec Peter - Cloud native: using containers, functions, and data to build next-generation applications

• 2019-08-21: First Release

Thought leaders across different companies and industries have been restating Watts Humphreys statement, Every business will become a software business. He was spot on. Software is taking over the world and is challenging the status quo of existing companies. Netflix has revolutionized how we obtain and consume TV and movies, Uber has transformed the transportation industry, and Airbnb is challenging the hotel industry. A couple of years ago that would have been unthinkable, but software has allowed new companies to venture into all industries and establish new thinking and business models.

The previously mentioned companies are often referred to as born-in-the-cloud companies, which means that at the basis of their offerings are services running in the cloud. Those services are built in a way that companies can quickly react to market and customer demands, release updates and fixes in a short period of time, use the latest technologies, and take advantage of the improved economics provided by the cloud. Services built in a cloud native way have also allowed companies to rethink their business models and move to new ones, such as subscription-based models. Such services are often referred to as cloud native applications.

The success and popularity of cloud native applications have led many enterprises to adopt cloud native architectures, even bringing many of the concepts to on-premises applications.

At the heart of cloud native applications are containers, functions, and data. There are many books out there focusing on each of these specific technologies. Cloud native applications use all of these technologies and take advantage of and exploit all of the benefits of the cloud. We, the authors, have seen many customers struggle to piece all of those technologies together to design and develop cloud native applications, so we decided to write a book with the goal to provide the foundational knowledge that enables developers and architects alike to get started with designing cloud native applications.

This book starts by laying down the foundation for the reader to understand the basic principles of distributed computing and how they relate to cloud native applications, as well as providing a closer look at containers and functions. Further, it covers service communication patterns, resiliency, and data patterns as well as providing guidance on when to use what. The book concludes by explaining the DevOps approach, portability considerations, and a collection of best practices that we have seen to be useful in successful cloud native applications.

The book is not a step-by-step implementation guide for building cloud native applications for a specific set of requirements. After reading this book, you should have the understanding and knowledge to help design, build, and operate successful cloud native applications. Tutorials are great for working through very specific needs, but a fundamental understanding of building cloud native applications provides teams with the necessary skills to ship successful cloud native applications.

The following typographical conventions are used in this book:

Indicates new terms, URLs, email addresses, filenames, and file extensions.

Used for program listings, as well as within paragraphs to refer to program elements such as variable or function names, databases, data types, environment variables, statements, and keywords.

Shows commands or other text that should be typed literally by the user.

Shows text that should be replaced with user-supplied values or by values determined by context.