What is cloud development? A technical guide for engineering teams

Cloud development refers to the practice of building, testing, and deploying software applications using cloud-based infrastructure and services, as opposed to traditional development that relies on individual local machines. This approach enables teams to utilize cloud environments for a consistent, scalable, and collaborative workflow that spans the entire software delivery lifecycle. Key components include cloud development environments (CDEs), containerization, source control, CI/CD pipelines, and managed databases, all of which help streamline processes and enhance visibility. Cloud-native development, a subset of this approach, involves designing applications specifically for cloud infrastructure using containers, microservices, and declarative APIs. Different deployment models such as public cloud, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud cater to various compliance and cost needs, with platforms like Northflank providing comprehensive deployment solutions. Cloud development shifts the cost model from capital expenditure to operational expenditure, with costs being driven by compute, storage, and data transfer, but it offers flexibility and efficiency for modern engineering teams.