Cloud Native: Using containers, functions, and data to build next-generation applications

Developers often struggle when first encountering the cloud. Learning about distributed systems, becoming familiar with technologies such as containers and functions, and knowing how to put everything together can be daunting. With this practical guide, you’ll get up to speed on patterns for building cloud native applications and best practices for common tasks such as messaging, eventing, and DevOps.

Authors Boris Scholl, Trent Swanson, and Peter Jausovec describe the architectural building blocks for a modern cloud native application. You’ll learn how to use microservices, containers, serverless computing, storage types, portability, and functions. You’ll also explore the fundamentals of cloud native applications, including how to design, develop, and operate them.

• Explore the technologies you need to design a cloud native application
• Distinguish between containers and functions, and learn when to use them
• Architect applications for data-related requirements
• Learn DevOps fundamentals and practices for developing, testing, and operating your applications
• Use tips, techniques, and best practices for building and managing cloud native applications
• Understand the costs and trade-offs necessary to make an application portable

Boris Scholl is a lead product architect with the Azure Compute engineering team focusing on the next generation of distributed systems platforms and application models. He has been working on Azure Developer tools and platforms in various product engineering roles since late 2011. Boris re-joined the Azure Compute team in 2018 after having spent 18 months outside Microsoft leading an engineering team to work on a microservices platform based on Kubernetes and service meshes. His work on distributed systems platforms has resulted in several patents about cloud computing and distributed systems. Boris is a frequent speaker at industry events, a contributor to many blogs, instructor for distributed computing topics, and the lead author of one of the first books about microservices and Docker on Azure (Microservices with Docker on Azure O’Reilly 2016).

Trent Swanson is a software architect focused on cloud and edge technologies. As a Distinguished Fellow of Cloud Technologies at Johnson Controls, he works with a wide range of cloud technologies and a lot of very smart and passionate people to create intelligent buildings. He has helped teams build and operate large and small applications across multiple cloud providers using modern practices and technologies. As a cofounder and consultant with Full Scale 180, he worked with some of Microsoft’s largest customers, helping them migrate and build applications in the cloud. He has been involved in architecting, building, and operating very large-scale applications, utilizing Docker, serverless technologies, and a microservices architecture. He enjoys building and working in high performing teams who have a learning culture and are capable of quickly applying emerging technologies and processes to support the business.

Peter Jausovec is a software engineer with more than ten years of experience in the field of software development and tech. During his career, he spent time in various roles, starting with QA before moving to software engineering and leading tech teams. His early career was mostly focused on developer and cloud tooling. In recent years, however, he has been focusing on developing distributed systems cloud native solutions.