An Ultimate Guide On Cloud-Native Java Applications And Architectures

August 5, 2022

An Ultimate Guide On Cloud-Native Java Applications And Architectures

Cloud-native has become one of the trendiest technologies in software development for a decade now. From development and deployment to managing applications outside the local machines, the cloud offers limitless opportunities to the business world. Also, the cloud computing delivery model helps enthusiasts launch new ideas in the market and offer prompt responses to customers’ requests.

When it comes to the technical demands, cloud-native Java development offers quick and lighter runtimes, reducing complexity, and stabilizing applications. Above all, it provides distributed application architecture with elasticity and resilience that helps businesses adapt to the ever-evolving business world.

Businesses using Java development services to build cloud-native applications can leverage the benefits of this approach. After all, it offers consistency, reliability, and scalability. Java concepts like containers, JVM optimizations, multi-purpose frameworks, and native image technology offers added benefits too.

In this blog, we have offered an introduction to cloud-native development using Java, useful tools, components, and approaches to cloud-native Java.

What is cloud-native Java?

To understand this concept, we need to look after various constituent parts. As VMware defined – the cloud-native methodology rests upon four pillars:

Microservices
Containers
CI/CD
DevOps

A microservice offers numerous characteristics – it’s a small, individual application component with a high degree of autonomy in deployment and scalability. Microservice architecture refers to a set of loosely coupled elements that run independently, each executing its functionality and communicating with each other via APIs. Also, microservices are lightweight and a great option for building clear interfaces.

Its popularity makes Docker containers indispensable. Microservices are often opposed to virtual machines because they leverage a separate, lightweight type of virtualization based on OS instances. A container image is layered and consists of everything an app requires to run in the cloud environment – coding with dependencies, framework, OS packages, and the operating system, runtime environment, system tools, and libraries. Container size depends on numerous parameters but always on the base OS image and runtime.

Continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) make the application’s release cycle quick, frequent, and reliable. These practices are based on the Agile methodology and strictly depend on automation to push updates into production in small parts rather than overload them in bulk.

DevOps – an acronym for “software development” and “IT operations” is an overarching concept. It refers to a union of people, processes, and results to ensure automated software delivery. If you apply DevOps, your organizational procedure will move towards reading code for deployment at any given time. It works in a production-first mindset as well as in a live-site culture. Developers and operations collaborate to help customers get uncompromised quality products.

Therefore, cloud-native Java development refers to an approach of building Java and JVM-based applications geared initially towards cloud frameworks instead of being adapted as ex-post. Such software must get written with technology native to cloud computing and exhibit some of these features:

Microservices packaged in containers
Well-defined APIs for communication purposes
Support for various user interfaces and devices
Built-in DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines
Low requirements for manual management
Dynamic horizontal and vertical scalability
Various datastore paradigms

Why choose Java?

Java celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020. Many technologies emerged and disappeared in this duration, but Java always kept moving forward. Thanks to the Java Community Process (JVP) that helps optimize Java standards for any progressive requirements and its 6-month release cadence.

Java’s long history has helped enterprises create numerous Java-based systems, services, and applications. It is now competing with Python and JS as the leading programming languages every year. Above all, the accompanying tools that simplify Java development also play a crucial role in this popularity like Spring, IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, NetBeans, JUnit, and more.

Java remains vibrant in the cloud era, thanks to the multiple efforts by the leading enterprises in the OpenJDK and GraalVM projects displayed by Oracle. GraalVM aids developers to create microservices that cater to most of the modern cloud requirements.

What are the various approaches to Cloud-Native Java?

Technology stacks and frameworks offer amazing well-tested features that are ready to use in development and production environments. Let’s discuss the various approaches that make cloud-native development easier:

Approach 1: JVM in Linux Containers

Docker containers are crucial components of the cloud-native development process. Linux containers based on c-group functionality along with OS-level virtualization are approaching cloud-native deployment using containers under the following setup:

A hypervisor host operating system running on a server in the cloud
A guest OS running on a hypervisor VM
A docker container running on the guest OS
JVM running Java bytecode on the host CPU inside the docker container
All the containers are on the same host and share the kernel

The only limitation with this approach is memory management, which raises its heap size above the container allowance causing more errors. However, while running a web application in a container, one can avoid knowing about the various areas of memory allocation often. The OpenJDK developers and community have addressed some of the most common issues and therefore, this approach has become relatively easier.

Approach II: Micro Profile

It is a classical approach to developing Java enterprise applications. When you hire Java developers they help leverage various modern frameworks to support Micro Profile including Helidon from Oracle and Quarkus from RedHat. Also, there are various similar features between these frameworks and common specifications like lack of support for native images.

The recent specification offers portable configuration, not just portable codes. Quarkus heavily relies on Kubernetes for cloud tasks like traffic management. Micro Profile services can work in a service network, which is typically built around a container management system. Also, this approach is lightweight but may become inconvenient at times for those unfamiliar with Kubernetes.

Approach III: Native images with Spring Native

Native images refer to a cloud-native approach that helps create a progressive and developer-friendly environment. Liberica Native Image Kit (NIK), based on the open-source GraalVM Community Edition, is a compiler that translates Java bytecode to binary codes. It includes Liberica VM, a native-image tool, and several installable, considering the platform.

Using this approach offers numerous advantages like instant start-up times, ease of transfer between systems, a low memory footprint, and an extensive toolkit in various programming languages.

Summary

There are several tools, technologies, and approaches used for cloud-native development considering the requirements of your project. If you are looking for expert guidance from cloud service providers and Java developers, our Java cloud application development company have it all under one roof.

Connect with our team to get expert assistance from our Java enthusiasts.

FAQs

Which concepts are used with cloud-native development?

Cloud-native development incorporates the concepts of DevOps, continuous delivery, microservices, and containers. It is an ideal choice for both public and private clouds.

What are the key principles of developing cloud-native development?

Cloud-native’s foundational principles are scalable apps, resilient architectures, and the ability to make frequent changes

Key technologies include containers, microservices, and dynamic orchestration

What are the benefits of cloud-native applications?