Entwicklung und Betrieb von Cloud-nativen Anwendungen

Abstract

This master’s thesis focuses on the development and operation of cloud-native applications. In recent years, there has been a fundamental shift in the way applications are
developed. Instead of monolithic software systems, microservices are now used, which
can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently. However, using microservices
alone is not enough to fully harness the potential of cloud technologies. Hence, the
concept of cloud-native applications emerged, which are designed from the ground up
to operate in the cloud and leverage the benefits of cloud technology optimally. These
applications are characterized by on-demand scalability, high availability, and resilience.
They utilize approaches such as event-driven architecture, serverless cloud infrastructure, and microservices.
Throughout this work, numerous aspects are examined that need to be considered in
the deployment and operation of cloud-native systems. This includes the automated
provisioning of cloud resources using infrastructure as code (IaC) and the continuous
integration and deployment process. Effective monitoring and alerting are crucial to ensure system performance, scalability, security, and cost control. Additionally, strategies
for ensuring availability are addressed, such as replication across multiple data centers
or implementing a multi-cloud approach.
As part of this work, a cloud-native prototype was developed, which migrated the existing system of the company AnyIdea, previously operated on local servers, to the cloud
and demonstrated the advantages of cloud technologies. The prototype was compared
to the existing system in terms of scalability, performance, and costs, revealing that
the cloud-native approach offers significant improvements in all these aspects. However,
the evaluation of the prototype also identified areas for optimization, such as increasing
efficiency, reducing application startup times, and further decomposing microservices
into finer-grained functions.
The results of this thesis highlight the gained value and potential offered by cloud-native
applications. This is further demonstrated by the successful integration of certain aspects
of the prototype into the existing system.

Date of Award	2023
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Johann Heinzelreiter (Supervisor)