Cloud Native application development

We’re at home in Cloud Native development. Whether you need to kickstart your startup with a modern application or scale an already running business on a large scale – Cloud Native is the right solution for your project!

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What does

“Cloud Native” mean?

Cloud Native solutions are applications or systems designed to be hosted in the cloud with connections to managed cloud services. At the same time, it is mostly a microservices architecture. Unlike large monolithic systems, it is made up of a collection of smaller, self-contained services that can be managed independently and scaled as needed. Among the main advantages of Cloud Native are for example, lower initial costs, modularity, and scalability.

As Cloud Native applications have grown in popularity in recent years, these solutions represent the future of software development. Organizations that learn to take advantage of these can achieve significant savings in software development and maintenance, while gaining the competitive advantage they need.

We are Cloud Native experts

We were recently guests on the podcast "Buduj značku" hosted by Petr Schwank, where we dove into the topic of Cloud Native. In this new episode, you can hear our story and gain insights from our experience.

We talked about how Think Easy got started and what our journey has looked like. We explained what Cloud Native applications are and explored the differences between them and traditional apps. We also touched on the financial demands of developing and maintaining such solutions – and, of course, highlighted their biggest advantages.

Don’t hesitate to tune in and immerse yourself in a conversation full of inspiration and useful information.

Check out the Buduj značku podcast, hosted by Petr Schwank.

Have a look at Martin Hurych's podcast Zážeh, whose guests were the founders of Think Easy s. r. o. Matouš Mojžíš and Matěj Schuh.

Almost all of the applications and systems we’ve developed so far are Cloud Native. For inspiration, check out some of our projects like Legato and Festada – both of these applications make use of AWS managed cloud services.

When developing the mobile app and admin environment for content sharing platform YouthTime, we used serverless architecture to ensure the client could benefit from all the advantages Cloud Native has to offer.

But don’t just take our word for it – here’s what one of our clients, Plus Care s.r.o., had to say after we helped them with serverless backend development and AWS infrastructure:

"What I appreciate most about Think Easy is their ability to communicate dynamically. We use Slack and Trello, and they respond quickly to requests or issues. Feedback is to the point, and we always get to the goal very efficiently. The team at Think Easy isn’t afraid to ask questions when something is unclear – a great quality that I’ve found lacking in many other developers.”
— Oldřich Kašpar, Plus Care s.r.o.

Architectures in the Cloud

Serverless

The term serverless architecture refers to a new programming model and approach to software operation consisting of deploying an application on a cloud platform. On the one hand, application owners do not have to worry about updating rented virtual servers (for example via AWS), and on the other hand, significant cost savings can be achieved. As a client, you only pay for what you actually use (pay per use) - the usage rate can be defined, for example, by the frequency of launching a certain function, the number of messages exchanged by your application, or the amount of resources used.

Server

In contrast, a server architecture always requires some degree of involvement of the application owner in operation and maintenance. In practice, server architecture most often takes the form of renting a virtual server. This model may suit those who want more control over the server on which their application or system runs. There is a better option for manual scaling, update control, access restrictions, etc.

For security, in both cases you rely on the cloud service provider, in our case AWS. However, since the level of AWS security services and features is very good, this is more of an advantage. For more demanding clients, we are able to provide additional layers of security using the appropriate security-focused AWS services.

How much does it cost to develop a Cloud Native app?

Cloud Native technologies are our daily bread. We will connect your application to top cloud services and tune it exactly according to your ideas. The cost of a Cloud Native application is covered in more detail in our blog article. Of course, the price depends on several factors. If you want Cloud Native for mobile applications, expect an amount from CZK 450,000, it also depends on the complexity of the system. For web applications, the basic setup starts at 220,000 CZK, and for a unique setup, expect more than 800,000 CZK.

What applications can be
Cloud Native?

Mobile applications are among the most used applications as most users today access the Internet via mobile devices. With Cloud Native development, your app can be even faster, cheaper and easier to maintain.
Web applications are very popular mainly because they do not require installation and can be used easily in a web browser.
Information systems will be appreciated especially by larger companies and organizations that need to collect and process significant volumes of data for their activities. We often develop ERP (enterprise resource planning) and CRM (customer relationship management) systems. A Cloud Native approach is one of the ways you can achieve significant cost reductions – both in purchasing and maintaining your own hardware and in IT staff salaries.

PWAs, or Progressive Web Apps, are among the hottest trends in web development. They combine the best of web and native mobile apps – support dynamic content, enable offline work, access hardware, and offer practical features like push notifications, etc. The user experience is very close to mobile apps, including loading and browsing speeds. However, unlike classic mobile apps, PWAs are not that difficult to develop – even more so if you opt for a Cloud Native approach.
Unlike web applications, desktop applications require installation on the computer's hard drive. There are certain limitations associated with this, such as operating system requirements, hardware, software equipment, etc. Cloud Native desktop application also requires Internet access to function.

Benefits of Cloud Native development

Lower costs: Both development and operation of Cloud Native applications are usually cheaper than monolithic systems. In addition, if you choose a serverless architecture, you will not have to worry about renting your own virtual server.
Faster Development: Get your software to users faster with DevOps and automation.
Modularity and scalability: A microservices-based architecture allows you to work with individual modules as needed and expand your solution as your business grows.
High speed and low response: Cloud Native applications using a fast internet connection (5G) can achieve very low response, which your users will surely appreciate.
Free AWS services: You can add a wide range of AWS services to your app for free to try out – some even with no time limit. These handy tools will help you with analytics, machine learning, document recognition or robotics. As we are an AWS partner, we will advise you on how to navigate cloud services and how to take full advantage of their benefits.
Easier troubleshooting: Thanks to the modular architecture, there is no need to touch the entire code, but just make adjustments in the given service.
Solutions for the future: Cloud Native development will continue to gain traction, and the sooner you adopt this approach, the better for you.
Greater flexibility: The modular structure offers the ability to make changes and improvements in real time and optimize performance according to current traffic.

We developed these Cloud Native applications

Engerio

Web application

Engerio's web application allows publishers to obtain article content using scraping technology and then display it in a special box - a widget - along with advertisements.

Plus Care

Web application

In the development of this mobile application, we took over the development of the serverless backend. Simply search and save your new GP, dentist or gynecologist in the app. You will find out what the office hours are, whether the doctor accepts new patients and what languages you can communicate in. Make an appointment for a preventive inspection and record your visit in the calendar in the application.

ERP system Delpsys

Progressive Web Application and ERP

ERP system implemented with a microservices architecture connected to a progressive web application for convenient use even on mobile devices.

Trading Bot

Cloud Native aplication

The cloud-native application of the automated trader uses the global infrastructure of the AWS Cloud and its serverless services for fast and reliable communication with the crypto exchange in order to detect and take advantage of any declines or increases in the exchange rate of the selected pair.

Youth Time

Mobil application

Developed for the company of the same name, the Youth Time mobile application offers users a space to discuss articles, share ideas, thoughts and insights.

Want to be next?

Write us or call us

We will advise you on which technology to choose, help you complete the assignment and launch the application together.

Cloud Native Application Development FAQ

What does Cloud Native mean?

Cloud Native is a method of developing apps that are built for running in cloud. These apps are highly scalable, resistant to outages, and able to deploy new versions quickly. Cloud Native apps fully use the potential of cloud - they quickly react to needed changes in performance based on actual demand. This means that you only pay for the capacities that you actually use.

How much does it cost to run a Cloud Native app?

The cost is dependent on the chosen infrastructure (server or serverless). Serverless has lower costs in the beginning, but the costs can rise with more users. Server infrastructure is usually more constant and predictable. Automatic scaling ensures you only pay for the capacities that you actually use, which is the main economic benefit of cloud.

What is scaling?

Scaling is one of the main advantages of Cloud Native apps, which thanks to this feature automatically adapt to current workload and infrastructure demands. In case of a sudden traffic increase, the system immediately deploys additional service instances, distributes the load using load balancers, and ensures sufficient computing resources. Thanks to the elasticity of the cloud environment, applications can handle huge traffic increases without outages. After the peak subsides, resources are automatically released again, so you only pay for what you actually use.

Can Cloud Native help with faster deployment?

It certainly does. The Cloud Native approach significantly accelerates time to market by automating the development cycle, instant availability of IT infrastructure and the ability to work on microservices in parallel. An essential part of Cloud Native applications is the automation of testing new code and deploying it into production using fully automated CI/CD pipelines. This approach also facilitates iterative development and rapid incorporation of user feedback.

How long will a web application run without interference?

If it does not require maintenance, then easily for years. We generally recommend maintenance at least once a year. For example, we have experience with a client who approached us three years after the completion of the development with a request for a minor modification. In the end, we had to update the entire application and upload newer modules, which pushed the change by a whole week.

How do you ensure code quality, security, and other important features?

For every code change, we automatically run tests that analyze the licenses of all packages for compatibility. We also run code quality analysis programs where the code must always meet the defined quality. We also run a database of package vulnerabilities, which allows us to prevent the exploitation of an already discovered bug. Subsequently, the application is, of course, still undergoing testing by our testers.

Can Cloud Native give my application a global reach?

Absolutely yes. The cloud allows you to easily deploy your app to different regions around the world. Services like AWS CloudFront ensure fast delivery of content to users in any geographic region, Global Accelerator optimizes the network path to your services, and database services offer global replication. With the cloud, you can have a globally available, low-latency application without having to build your own data centers across continents.

When is Cloud Native not worth it?

The Cloud Native approach may not be worthwhile especially for simple applications with predictable and stable workloads or for applications with very specific hardware requirements. On the other hand, Cloud Native is always worthwhile if you expect fluctuating application loads, need to scale quickly, only want to pay for actual resources used, and require high availability and fault tolerance.

Can I redesign old applications to be Cloud Native, or do I have to develop them again?

Transforming existing applications to Cloud Native is possible but not easy. There are several approaches: incremental modernization, re-platforming or complete refactoring. Which strategy you ultimately decide on will depend on the application's level of complexity, technical debt, and business goals. It's not always necessary to develop applications from scratch, but moving to a Cloud Native architecture usually requires extensive customization.

Can a Cloud Native app run offline?

Fully Cloud Native applications are dependent on cloud services and cannot run completely offline. However, solutions can be designed with partial offline functionality in the form of progressive web applications (PWAs), local caching or containers. For mission critical scenarios, we can implement a hybrid architecture to ensure functionality even without an internet connection. Upon reconnection, data is automatically synchronized.

What types of cloud are there?

The main public cloud providers are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Alibaba Cloud, Oracle Cloud, IBM Cloud and DigitalOcean. There are also private clouds (run exclusively for one organisation), hybrid clouds (a combination of public and private clouds) and multi-cloud solutions (using services from multiple providers simultaneously).

How secure is AWS?

AWS offers comprehensive security on many levels. It protects infrastructure (physical centers, network), data (encryption), identities (access management, multi-factor authentication), and provides tools to monitor and manage security events.

Why do we use AWS?

We use AWS because of its broad and versatile offering of managed cloud services that save time and money. For example, they include fully automatic scaling, a generous Free Tier program with a range of free services, and a custom infrastructure management tool. Compared to the competition, AWS offers better availability and fewer outages. In addition, we have AWS-certified experts on our team to ensure high quality, easy deployment, 99.9% availability, and maximum security for your solution.

Where is my data stored in the cloud?

Your data is stored in Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centres strategically located around the world. European regions include Frankfurt, Paris, Stockholm, Milan and Dublin - these regions are further divided into multiple independent 'availability zones'. The specific location of your data depends on the region you choose when setting up your services. This allows you to ensure compliance with data localization requirements and relevant regulations.

What happens when a cloud server goes down?

Cloud Native applications are designed to offer high availability. When one server goes down, traffic is automatically redirected to working servers in another zone. Additionally, your application can take advantage of auto-scaling and load balancing features to ensure smooth operation even if some components fail. Your users will often not even notice that an outage has occurred.

What if hackers attack the cloud and steal my data?

Cybersecurity is one of the top priorities for all major cloud providers, and one in which they regularly invest significant resources. Methods such as encryption and multi-layered security (firewalls, threat detection, ...) ensure that your data is completely safe both at rest and during moves.

What does the concept of "high availability" mean?

The term "high availability" refers to a service that is designed to operate continuously with minimal interruptions. A high availability service is designed to minimize outages. Cloud solutions achieve this by using redundant systems - when one server fails, another immediately takes over its function.

What if AWS shuts down its servers or stops providing services?

This risk is negligible. AWS is one of the global technology giants with huge importance, reputation, financial and technical backing. Service availability is therefore well taken care of.

We write about Cloud Native applications