Three Things You Need To Know About App Development in the Cloud
Everything is changing at a rapid pace, and mobile app development isn’t an exception at all. Actually, a lot has changed since the first launch of mobile apps. And nowadays cloud-native apps are taking over the market.
Today we are going to discuss the development of cloud-based programs, apps, and systems. Such applications are typically built using special cloud frameworks which allow for the building, deployment, and maintenance of apps taking advantage of the cloud-based companies such as ThinkOn Inc., Amazon Web Services, Anturis, etc. Read more about types of cloud-based apps on idapgroup.com/blog/how-cloud-changed-app-development.
There are a number of benefits to be had through the adoption of cloud computing. The three primary benefits are;
#1 – It’s agile
The architecture of cloud servers is built particularly for high performance, speed, and reliability. The ability to make changes and updates very quickly can make the cloud an attractive and powerful application development environment.
Developers have pointed out that one of the key issues affecting their performance is the ability to make fast changes or updates. Traditional infrastructure could take days to update but if you develop an application natively in the cloud, updates could be performed in a few seconds.
The agility offered by the cloud widens up the horizons for experiments thus allowing developers to stay ahead of the game.
#2 – It’s safe
A vast majority of people looks at innovations as something unstable and insecure. But when it comes to cloud computing, such thoughts are groundless. A cloud system is designed with the right balance of durability, stability, and openness in mind.
It’s essential for any development environment to have all of the characteristics mentioned above. Thanks to the fast changes and updates, any mistake can often be fixed within a couple of seconds. Thus enterprises won’t lose millions due to the mistakes.
#3 – It’s scalable
Handling larger data volumes requires more robust servers. With traditional architectures, scaling occurs vertically, i.e., when the amounts of data increase, a company buys new, more powerful servers. Thus it’s quite costly to purchase new hardware every time a company needs more resources.
It is very difficult for the typical enterprise customer to accurately predict their infrastructure needs a year or two advance. For example, there were some peak times when companies exceeded the available resources such as Black Friday Sales, but at the other times, companies had resources going unused.
And when it comes to cloud computing, most providers provide a pay-as-you-go approach. You can adjust your resources to reflect your needs anytime you need it. Thus, cloud hosting provides both horizontal and vertical scaling.
Difficulties while integrating cloud-based apps
Some difficulties may occur with integrating existing apps within cloud-based application delivery models. This may happen due to the lack of access to the application, infrastructure or other platforms utilized by providers. The good news is you can get around this by taking advantage of your provider’s APIs.
App synchronization
Sometimes developers face difficulties with application synchronization. It’s known that If you take advantage of different APIs and other patterns, your code will work only on a particular platform.
The good news is that by using a cloud technology that works with different platforms or by choosing a cloud provider that supports independent platforms you can avoid these issues.
Tools to use for cloud app development
Taking into account that developing the experience to effectively build cloud-based apps may take some time it is important to remember to not lose faith in the process.
It may take time but it definitely worth it. There is no need to reinvent the wheel and the number of tools available is broad.
- ThinkOn Inc.
ThinkOn Inc. helps organizations leverage cloud technology to maximize their investment in compute, network, and storage resources. ThinkOn works with a select group of vendor partners to build fast, and scalable solutions for enterprise application hosting, big data analytics and flexible disaster recovery as a service.
- Amazon Toolkit
Amazon probably is the first company you think of when it comes to cloud servers. So it’s not a surprise that the Internet giant has its own toolkit for development and deployment of apps to the cloud.
- Cloudswitch
It’s a toolkit brought up by Verizon. In case you are looking for some tools to migrate your app, you can find them on Cloudswitch.
- CollabNet
CollabNet is said to be the most secure and fastest solution for cloud computing. It offers a secure, visible, and reliable environment for cloud-based apps.
- RightScale
RightScale is a cloud management platform with instant access to a portfolio of public, private, and hybrid cloud services. It can help companies develop and deliver cloud projects as well as optimize cloud usage.
- Coderun
Coderun offers an integrated environment for developing mobile apps in the cloud.
It’s clear that every day more and more tools for cloud app development appear on the market. And its number will increase due to the rising popularity of cloud app development. Keep updated with the latest tech innovations and be a step or even two forward than your competitors.
Cloud providers are the least but not the last thing to mention. As an app development company, we choose ThinkOn for application hosting. But you can also take advantage of such cloud giants as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.
In a nutshell
App development in the cloud is full of challenges and difficulties that you need to know in advance to plan everything efficiently. It may take you some time to get used to developing cloud-based apps.
The benefits of cloud app development are clear as a day – agility, speed, and cost-efficiency are the key factors that make cloud app development especially lucrative.
Short Bio
Helen Morrice is an IT copywriter at IDAP Group, a Ukrainian agency for mobile and web app development. She knows the ins and outs of app development industry. Read more articles by Helen on Facebook or blog.