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As a developer, you're likely familiar with new technologies that promise to enhance software production speed and app robustness once deployed. Cloud computing technology is a prime example, offering immense promise. This article delves into multi-access edge computing and deployment in cloud computing, providing practical advice to help you with real-world application deployments on cloud infrastructure.

Why is Cloud Simplification Critical?#

Complex cloud infrastructure often results in higher costs. Working closely with cloud computing consulting firms to simplify your architecture can help reduce these expenses [(Asmus, Fattah, and Pavlovski, 2016)]. The complexity of cloud deployment increases with the number of platforms and service providers available.

The Role of Multi-access Edge Computing in Application Deployment#

[Multi-access Edge Computing] offers cloud computing capabilities and IT services at the network's edge, benefiting application developers and content providers with ultra-low latency, high bandwidth, and real-time access to radio network information. This creates a new ecosystem, allowing operators to expose their Radio Access Network (RAN) edge to third parties, thus offering new apps and services to mobile users, corporations, and various sectors in a flexible manner [(Cruz, Achir, and Viana, 2022)].

Choose Between IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS#

In cloud computing, the common deployment options are Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). PaaS is often the best choice for developers as it manages infrastructure, allowing you to focus on application code.

Scale Your Application#

PaaS typically supports scalability for most languages and runtimes. Developers should understand different scaling methods: vertical, horizontal, manual, and automatic [(Eivy and Weinman, 2017)]. Opt for a platform that supports both manual and automated horizontal scaling.

Consider the Application's State#

Cloud providers offering PaaS often prefer greenfield development, which involves new projects without constraints from previous work. Porting existing or legacy deployments can be challenging due to ephemeral file systems. For greenfield applications, create stateless apps. For legacy applications, choose a PaaS provider that supports both stateful and stateless applications.

Select a Database for Cloud-Based Apps#

If your application doesn't need to connect to an existing corporate database, your options are extensive. Place your database in the same geographic location as your application code but on separate containers or servers to facilitate independent scaling of the database [(Noghabi, Kolb, Bodik, and Cuervo, 2018)].

Consider Various Geographies#

Choose a cloud provider that enables you to build and scale your application infrastructure across multiple global locations, ensuring a responsive experience for your users.

Use REST-Based Web Services#

Deploying your application code in the cloud offers the flexibility to scale web and database tiers independently. This separation allows for exploring technologies you may not have considered before.

Implement Continuous Delivery and Integration#

Select a cloud provider that offers integrated continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) capabilities. The provider should support building systems or interacting with existing non-cloud systems [(Garg and Garg, 2019)].

Prevent Vendor Lock-In#

Avoid cloud providers that offer proprietary APIs that can lead to vendor lock-in, as they might limit your flexibility and increase dependency on a single provider.

References

Asmus, S., Fattah, A., & Pavlovski, C. ([2016]). Enterprise Cloud Deployment: Integration Patterns and Assessment Model. IEEE Cloud Computing, 3(1), pp.32-41. doi:10.1109/mcc.2016.11.

Cruz, P., Achir, N., & Viana, A.C. ([2022]). On the Edge of the Deployment: A Survey on Multi-Access Edge Computing. _ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR).

Eivy, A., & Weinman, J. ([2017]). Be Wary of the Economics of ‘Serverless' Cloud Computing. IEEE Cloud Computing, 4(2), pp.6-12. doi:10.1109/mcc.2017.32.

Garg, S., & Garg, S. ([2019]). Automated Cloud Infrastructure, Continuous Integration, and Continuous Delivery Using Docker with Robust Container Security. In 2019 IEEE Conference on Multimedia Information Processing and Retrieval (MIPR) (pp. 467-470). IEEE.

Noghabi, S.A., Kolb, J., Bodik, P., & Cuervo, E. ([2018]). Steel: Simplified Development and Deployment of Edge-Cloud Applications. In 10th USENIX Workshop on Hot Topics in Cloud Computing (HotCloud 18).