Cloud Native Software Security Handbook E-Book

Mihir Shah

• Herausgeber: Packt Publishing
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 546

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

For cloud security engineers, it’s crucial to look beyond the limited managed services provided by cloud vendors and make use of the wide array of cloud native tools available to developers and security professionals, which enable the implementation of security solutions at scale. This book covers technologies that secure infrastructure, containers, and runtime environments using vendor-agnostic cloud native tools under the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).
The book begins with an introduction to the whats and whys of the cloud native environment, providing a primer on the platforms that you’ll explore throughout. You’ll then progress through the book, following the phases of application development. Starting with system design choices, security trade-offs, and secure application coding techniques that every developer should be mindful of, you’ll delve into more advanced topics such as system security architecture and threat modelling practices. The book concludes by explaining the legal and regulatory frameworks governing security practices in the cloud native space and highlights real-world repercussions that companies have faced as a result of immature security practices.
By the end of this book, you'll be better equipped to create secure code and system designs.

Leseprobe

Cloud Native Software Security Handbook

Unleash the power of cloud native tools for robust security in modern applications

Mihir Shah

BIRMINGHAM—MUMBAI

Cloud Native Software Security Handbook

Copyright © 2023 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

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Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

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First published: August 2023

Production reference: 1270723

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Grosvenor House

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B3 1RB

ISBN 9781837636983

www.packtpub.com

To all who dare to dream: you can, if you believe you can.

– Mihir Shah

Contributors

About the author

Mihir Shah is a recognized industry expert in the cybersecurity domain. He has been a speaker at premier academic institutes, such as Stanford University and IIT Bombay. He was an industry mentor for Stanford University’s Advanced Cybersecurity program, where he worked with multiple start-up stakeholders as a mentor. He is an active researcher at MIT and has published several papers over the past few years. He was invited to be a judge and industry expert for the coveted Globee Business Excellence awards for the Cybersecurity category. He has delivered over 30 talks over the past five years at seven conferences around the globe. He has several years of industry experience working as a software security engineer, leading the product security division for cloud engineering teams.

About the reviewers

Kuldeep Singh is an experienced data center migration architect and leader. He has expertise in infrastructure project management and has delivered successful data center projects for telecom giants such as AT&T (US) and Vodafone (Europe). He also holds various certifications for cloud solutions and project management. In his free time, he likes to keep fit by lifting weights at the gym.

I am grateful to my wife, my kid, Mozo, and my family for their constant support and encouragement throughout this project. I also appreciate the publisher for their professionalism and guidance in the publishing process. I hope this book will be useful and enjoyable to readers.

Safeer CM has been working in site reliability, DevOps, and platform engineering for the past 17 years. A site reliability engineer by trade, Safeer has managed large-scale production infrastructures at internet giants such as Yahoo and LinkedIn and is currently working at Flipkart as a senior staff site reliability engineer. He has worked with budding and established start-ups as a cloud architect and DevOps/SRE consultant.

Safeer is the author of the book Architecting Cloud-Native Serverless Solutions, as well as several blogs. He has been a speaker at and organizer of multiple meetups. He is currently an ambassador for the Continuous Delivery Foundation, where he helps the organization with community adoption and governance.

All my contributions were made possible by the infinite support of my family. I would also like to acknowledge the wisdom and support of all my mentors, peers, and the technology community around the world.

Aditya Krishnakumar has worked in the field of DevOps for the past 5+ years, with 2 years working with organizations on security-related requirements such as SOC 2. He is currently working as a senior infrastructure engineer at Sysdig, the makers of the Falco runtime security platform. He previously worked for Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he was responsible for the SOC 2 requirements of a big data analytics product hosted on Kubernetes. He provides contributions to the DevOps community via his blog and is a member of AWS Community Builders, a global community of AWS and cloud enthusiasts.

Mayur Nagekar is an accomplished professional with 15+ years of experience in DevOps, automation, and platform engineering, and is passionate about cloud-native technologies. As a site reliability engineer and cloud architect, he has extensive expertise in Infrastructure as Code, designing distributed systems, and implementing cloud-native applications. Mayur holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Pune, and his experience spans from start-ups to multinational companies. His proficiency in Kubernetes, containerization, and security drives innovation and efficiency.

I am incredibly grateful to my loving family and supportive friends who have been with me every step of the way. Your unwavering encouragement, understanding, and belief in me have made reviewing this book possible. Thank you for your love, patience, and unwavering support. I am truly blessed to have you all in my life.

Table of Contents

Preface

Part 1: Understanding Cloud Native Technology and Security

1

Foundations of Cloud Native

Understanding the cloud-native world

Why consider using cloud-native architecture?

Cloud models

Approach to thinking cloud-native

Components of a cloud-native system

Orchestration

Monitoring

Logging and tracing

Container registries

Service meshes

Security

Summary

Quiz

Further readings

2

Cloud Native Systems Security Management

Technical requirements

Secure configuration management

Using OPA for secure configuration management

Requiring encryption for all confidential data

Restricting access to sensitive resources

Enforcing resource limits

Secure image management

Why care about image security?

Best practices for secure image management

Clair

Harbor

Creating an HTTPS connection for the repository

Scanning for vulnerabilities in images

Summary

Quiz

Further readings

3

Cloud Native Application Security

Technical requirements

Overview of cloud-native application development

Differences between traditional and cloud-native app development

The DevOps model

Cloud-native architecture and DevOps

Introduction to application security

Overview of different security threats and attacks

Integrating security into the development process

OWASP Top 10 for cloud native

Not shift-left

Security and development trade-off

Supplemental security components

OWASP ASVS

Secrets management

How to create secrets in Vault

Summary

Quiz

Further reading

Part 2: Implementing Security in Cloud Native Environments

4

Building an AppSec Culture

Technical requirements

Overview of building an AppSec program

Understanding your security needs

Identifying threats and risks in cloud-native environments

Bug bounty

Evaluating compliance requirements and regulations

Building an effective AppSec program for cloud-native

Security tools for software in development

Threat modeling

Providing security training and awareness to all stakeholders

Developing policies and procedures

Incident response and disaster recovery

Cloud security policy

Identity and access management policies

Continuous monitoring and improvement

Summary

Quiz

Further readings

5

Threat Modeling for Cloud Native

Technical requirements

Developing an approach to threat modeling

An overview of threat modeling for cloud native

Integrating threat modeling into Agile and DevOps processes

Developing a threat matrix

Cultivating critical thinking and risk assessment

Fostering a critical thinking mindset

Developing risk assessment skills

Threat modeling frameworks

STRIDE

PASTA

LINDDUN

Kubernetes threat matrix

Initial Access

Execution

Persistence

Privilege Escalation

Defense Evasion

Credential Access

Discovery

Lateral Movement

Impact

Summary

Quiz

Further readings

6

Securing the Infrastructure

Technical requirements

Approach to object access control

Kubernetes network policies

Calico

Using Calico with Kubernetes

Principles for authentication and authorization

Authentication

Authorization

Importance of authentication and authorization

Kubernetes authentication and authorization mechanisms

Defense in depth

Infrastructure components in cloud-native environments

Compute components – virtual machines, containers, and serverless computing

Networking components – VPCs, subnets, load balancers, and ingress controllers

Storage services – block storage, object storage, and databases

Falco – real-time monitoring for cloud workloads

Summary

Quiz

Further readings

7

Cloud Security Operations

Technical requirements

Novel techniques in sourcing data points

Centralized logging with the EFK stack

Creating alerting and webhooks within different platforms

Creating alerting rules in Prometheus

Configuring webhook notifications for different platforms (e.g., Slack)

Automating incident response with custom scripts and tools

Automated security lapse findings

Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platforms

SOAR platforms on the market

Integrating security tools and automating workflows

Integrating security tools

Automating workflows

Building and maintaining a security automation playbook

Elements of a security automation playbook

Building a security automation playbook

Maintaining a security automation playbook

Summary

Quiz

Further readings

8

DevSecOps Practices for Cloud Native

Technical requirements

Infrastructure as Code

The importance of DevSecOps

DevSecOps in practice

Continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) in DevSecOps

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and Policy as Code in DevSecOps

Security tools in DevSecOps

Security implications of IaC

Checkov – a comprehensive overview

Policy as Code

Why Policy as Code?

Implementing Policy as Code with OPA

Policy as Code in the broader DevSecOps strategy

Integrating Policy as Code into the CI/CD pipeline

Policy as Code – a pillar of DevSecOps

Policy as Code and Infrastructure as Code – two sides of the same coin

Container security

Secrets management

Network policies

Security in serverless architectures

Security observability

Compliance auditing

Threat modeling and risk assessment

Incident response

Security training and culture

Continuous learning and improvement – the DevSecOps mindset

The role of automation in DevSecOps

The importance of collaboration in DevSecOps

The power of open source in DevSecOps

Future trends – the evolution of DevSecOps

Summary

Quiz

Further readings

Part 3: Legal, Compliance, and Vendor Management

9

Legal and Compliance

Overview

Comprehending privacy in the cloud

The importance of privacy in the cloud-native landscape

The CCPA and its implications for cloud-native

Other significant US privacy laws and their implications for cloud-native

Audit processes, methodologies, and cloud-native adoption

Importance of audit processes and methodologies in cloud-native adoption

Common audit processes and methodologies

Laws, regulations, and standards

The CFAA and its implications for cloud-native software security

The FTCA and its implications for cloud-native software security

Overview of compliance standards and their implications for cloud-native software security

Case studies – incidents related to standards and their implications for security engineers

Summary

Quiz

Further readings

10

Cloud Native Vendor Management and Security Certifications

Security policy framework

Understanding cloud vendor risks

Understanding security policy frameworks

Implementing security policy frameworks with cloud vendors

Effective security policy framework in a cloud environment

Best practices for implementing a security policy framework with cloud vendors

Government cloud standards and vendor certifications

Industry cloud standards

The importance of adhering to government and industry cloud standards

Vendor certifications

Enterprise risk management

The significance of ERM in cloud security

Incorporating vendor management into your enterprise risk management program

Risk analysis

Risk analysis – a key step in vendor evaluation

Tools and techniques for evaluating vendor risk

Best practices for vendor selection

Building and managing vendor relationships

Case study

Background

Risk analysis and vendor selection

Establishing strong vendor relationship

Managing the relationship

Successful outcomes

Summary

Quiz

Further readings

Index

Other Books You May Enjoy

Preface

Writing the Cloud Native Software Security Handbook has been an exciting and fulfilling journey for me. As an author, I am passionate about helping you navigate the complex world of cloud-native security, equipping you with the knowledge and skills necessary to secure infrastructure and develop secure software in this rapidly evolving landscape.

Throughout my experience in the field, I have witnessed the transformative power of cloud-native technologies and their potential to revolutionize the way we build and deploy software. However, I have also come to realize the critical importance of robust security practices in this domain. It is this realization that motivated me to write this book – to bridge the gap between the power of cloud-native platforms and the need for comprehensive security measures.

As I delved into the creation of this handbook, I considered the needs of those among you who are eager to explore the cloud-native space and embrace its potential, while ensuring the utmost security. I embarked on a deep dive into widely used platforms such as Kubernetes, Calico, Prometheus, Kibana, Grafana, Clair, and Anchor, and many others – equipping you with the tools and knowledge necessary to navigate these technologies with confidence.

Beyond the technical aspects, I wanted this book to be a guide that goes beyond the surface and addresses the broader organizational and cultural aspects of cloud-native security. In the latter part of this book, we will explore the concept of Application Security (AppSec) programs and discuss how to foster a secure coding culture within your organization. We will also dive into threat modeling for cloud-native environments, empowering you to proactively identify and mitigate potential security risks.

Throughout this journey, I have strived to present practical insights and real-world examples that will resonate with those of you from diverse backgrounds. I believe that by sharing both my own experiences and those of others in the field, we can cultivate a sense of camaraderie and mutual growth as we navigate the intricacies of cloud-native security together.

My hope is that by the end of this book, you will not only possess a comprehensive understanding of cloud-native security but also feel confident in your ability to create secure code and design resilient systems. I invite you to immerse yourself in this exploration, embrace the challenges, and seize the opportunities that await you in the realm of cloud-native software security.

Who this book is for

This book is intended for developers, security professionals, and DevOps teams who are involved in designing, developing, and deploying cloud-native applications. It is particularly beneficial for those with a technical background who wish to gain a deeper understanding of cloud-native security and learn about the latest tools and technologies, to secure cloud-native infrastructure and runtime environments. Prior experience with cloud vendors and their managed services would be advantageous.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Foundations of Cloud Native, serves as a comprehensive introduction to cloud-native technologies, exploring the tools and platforms offered by the CNCF. It provides a clear understanding of these platforms, their use cases and applications, and how to deploy them in real time. It is designed to help those of you who are familiar with public cloud vendors and their offerings but seek to understand how they integrate with vendor-agnostic cloud-native technologies.

Chapter 2, Cloud Native Systems Security Management, provides a comprehensive understanding of the various tools and techniques that can be used to secure cloud-native systems, and how they can be integrated to provide a secure and compliant cloud-native environment. By the end of this chapter, you will be able to implement secure configuration management, secure image management, secure runtime management, secure network management, and Kubernetes admission controllers in their cloud-native systems.

Chapter 3, Cloud Native Application Security, provides an in-depth understanding of the security considerations involved in cloud-native application development. As the shift toward cloud-based application development continues to grow, it is crucial for software engineers, architects, and security professionals to understand the security implications and best practices to build secure cloud-native applications.

Chapter 4, Building an AppSec Culture, covers the key components of building an AppSec program that is both effective and efficient. It emphasizes the importance of understanding your organization’s security needs and goals and explores the key elements of an effective AppSec program, including risk assessment, security testing, and security training.

Chapter 5, Threat Modeling for Cloud Native, provides a comprehensive understanding of how to perform threat modeling for cloud-native environments, and how to use the information gathered to make informed decisions about security risks. It brings together all the concepts covered so far and applies them to the process of threat modeling.

Chapter 6, Securing the Infrastructure, explores various tools and strategies to secure your cloud-native infrastructure, from configuration to network security. It provides hands-on experience in implementing various security measures for Kubernetes, service mesh, and container security.

Chapter 7, Cloud Security Operations, offers practical insights and tools to establish and maintain a robust cloud security operations process. It explores innovative techniques to collect and analyze data points, including centralized logging, cloud-native observability tools, and monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana.

Chapter 8, DevSecOps Practices for Cloud Native, delves into the various aspects of DevSecOps, focusing on Infrastructure as Code (IaC), policy as code, and Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) platforms. This chapter will teach you in detail about automating most of the processes you learned in the previous chapters. By the end of this chapter, you will have a comprehensive understanding of these concepts and the open source tools that aid in implementing DevSecOps practices.

Chapter 9, Legal and Compliance, aims to bridge the gap between the technical skills and the legal and compliance aspects in the world of cloud-native software security. This chapter provides you with a comprehensive understanding of the laws, regulations, and standards that govern your work. By the end of this chapter, you will not only gain knowledge about the key U.S. privacy and security laws but also learn how to analyze these laws from a security engineer’s perspective.

Chapter 10, Cloud Native Vendor Management and Security Certifications, dives deep into the world of cloud vendor management and security certifications, revealing practical tools and strategies to build strong vendor relationships that underpin secure cloud operations. By the end of this chapter, you will understand the various risks associated with cloud vendors and how to assess a vendor’s security posture effectively.

To get the most out of this book

Before starting with this book, it is expected that you have a preliminary understanding of cloud-native technologies such as Kubernetes and Terraform. This book was written to explain security solutions possible using the following cloud-native tools, and so it is expected that you should adopt a security mindset when learning about the tools or using them. This book has a lot of examples and references for you to follow and implement; it is expected that you don’t use the code, as provided, verbatim, as each environment is different. Instead, approach each chapter carefully, and apply your learnings in your own environment. I hope that you spend more time learning about the tool itself, as that provides a holistic understanding of what this book aims to achieve – cloud-native security.

Software/hardware covered in the book

Operating system requirements

Kubernetes v 1.27

macOS or Linux

Helm v3.12.0

macOS or Linux

Open Policy Agent v 0.52.0

macOS or Linux

Harbor v 2.7.0

macOS or Linux

Clair v 4.6.0

macOS or Linux

K9s v 0.27.2

macOS or Linux

Vault v 1.13.2

macOS or Linux

OWASP ASVS v 4.0

macOS or Linux

Calico v 3.25

macOS or Linux

Falco

macOS or Linux

OPA – Gatekeeper v 3.10

macOS or Linux

Elasticsearch v 7.13.0

macOS or Linux

Fluentd v 1.15.1

macOS or Linux

Kibana v 8.7.0

macOS or Linux

Prometheus v 2.44.0

macOS or Linux

Terraform v 1.4.6

macOS or Linux

Checkov v 2.3.245

macOS or Linux

For certain tools, where the installation guide is a little complex, steps and tutorials are included within each chapter; however, you are strongly advised to follow the official documentation to install the tools as listed in the preceding table before trying the hands-on tutorials.

If you are using the digital version of this book, we advise you to type the code yourself or access the code from the book’s GitHub repository (a link is available in the next section). Doing so will help you avoid any potential errors related to the copying and pasting of code.

Download the example code files

You can download the example code files for this book from GitHub at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Cloud-Native-Software-Security-Handbook. If there’s an update to the code, it will be updated in the GitHub repository.

We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out!

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Code in text: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: “You should receive an error message indicating that the namespace must have the environment label. Update the test-namespace.yaml file to include the required label, and the namespace creation should be allowed.”

A block of code is set as follows:

kind: NetworkPolicy apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1 metadata:   name: frontend-to-backend spec:   podSelector:     matchLabels:       app: backend   policyTypes:   - Ingress   ingress:   - from:     - podSelector:         matchLabels:           app: frontend     ports:     - protocol: TCP       port: 80 --- kind: NetworkPolicy apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1 metadata:   name: backend-to-database spec:   podSelector:     matchLabels:       app: database   policyTypes:   - Ingress   ingress:   - from:     - podSelector:         matchLabels:           app: backend     ports:     - protocol: TCP       port: 3306

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

$ kubectl apply -f networkPolicy.yaml

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: “To create a new visualization, click on the Visualize tab in the left-hand menu. Click Create visualization to start creating a new visualization.”

Tips or important notes

Appear like this.

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Part 1: Understanding Cloud Native Technology and Security

In this part, you will learn about the foundations of cloud-native technologies, how to secure cloud-native systems, and the security considerations involved in cloud-native application development. By the end of this part, you will have a solid understanding of cloud-native technologies and the security challenges associated with them.

This part has the following chapters:

Chapter 1, Foundations of Cloud NativeChapter 2, Cloud Native Systems Security ManagementChapter 3, Cloud Native Application Security

1

Foundations of Cloud Native

The adoption of cloud-native solutions is expected to surge in the upcoming years, and platforms such as Kubernetes continue to be the dominant players in this field. With this, the demand for cloud-native technologies and professionals will only continue to rise. This includes the crucial role of cloud-native security engineers and administrators in organizations. Let’s dive in and begin with the foundations of cloud-native.

This chapter serves as a comprehensive introduction for those who are familiar with public cloud vendors and their offerings but seek to understand how they integrate with vendor-agnostic cloud-native technologies. We will be exploring a few of the plethora of tools and platforms offered by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) and delving into the tools and strategies used throughout this book, providing a clear understanding of those platforms, their use cases and applications, and deploying them in real time.

In this chapter, we’re going to cover the following main topics:

Understanding the cloud-native worldComponents for building a cloud-native appApproach to thinking cloud-native

Understanding the cloud-native world

If you have been in the tech industry for a while, you are probably aware of the buzzword known as cloud-native. The more people you ask what it means, chances are, the more varied answers you will receive, and what’s bizarre is that all of them would be accurate in their own way. So, why the different answers? Well, the answer is simple – cloud-native technology and the stack is ever evolving, and each engineer, based on the use case of their cloud-native technology, would consider that in of itself to be cloud-native. However, based on the definition set out by the CNCF and my practical experience of using these technologies for the past many years, instead of defining a broader term of cloud-native computing, I would rather define what it means for an application to be cloud-native:

“Cloud-native is the architectural style for any application that makes this application cloud-deployable as a loosely coupled formation of singular services that is optimized for automation using DevOps practices.”

Let’s delve into understanding what that means in the industry. Cloud-native is an application design style that enables engineers to deploy any software in the cloud as each service. These services are optimized for automation using DevOps practices such as Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) and Infrastructure as Code (IaC). This approach allows for faster development, testing, and deployment of applications in the cloud, making it easier for organizations to scale and adapt to changing business needs. Additionally, the use of microservices and containerization in cloud-native architecture allows for greater flexibility and resiliency in the event of service failures. Overall, cloud-native architecture is designed to take full advantage of the cloud’s capabilities and provide a more efficient and effective way to build and deploy applications.

Why consider using cloud-native architecture?

I have always found the best way to approach any problem is to start with why. As for our current endeavor, it is prudent to think about why we would even care about thinking of a different approach to building our applications when we can get away with the current style of development. While you wouldn’t be completely wrong, there are some pretty strong arguments to be made otherwise. While we can address the need for this architecture, further for now, we can try contemplating the benefits of development. A few of them are listed as follows:

Scalability: One of the primary benefits of cloud-native architecture is the ability to easily scale applications horizontally and vertically, to meet changing demands. This is particularly important for applications that experience fluctuating levels of traffic as it allows for resources to be allocated in real time, without the need for manual intervention.Flexibility: Cloud-native architecture also provides greater flexibility in terms of where and how applications are deployed. Applications can be deployed across multiple cloud providers or on-premises, depending on the needs of the organization, including but not limited to the organization’s compliance policies, business continuity, disaster recovery playbooks, and more.Cost savings: Cloud-native architecture can lead to cost savings as well. By taking advantage of the pay-as-you-go pricing model offered by cloud providers, organizations only pay for the resources they use, rather than having to invest in expensive infrastructure upfront. Additionally, the ability to scale resources up and down can help reduce the overall cost of running applications.Improved security: Cloud-native architecture also offers improved security for applications. Cloud providers typically offer a range of security features, such as encryption (such as AWS KMS, which is used for encryption key management and cryptographic signing) and multi-factor authentication, which can be applied to applications. Additionally, the use of containerization and microservices can help isolate and secure individual components of an application.Faster deployment: Cloud-native architecture allows for faster deployment of applications. Containerization, for example, allows you to package applications and dependencies together, which can then be easily deployed to a cloud environment. Frameworks such as GitOps and other IaC solutions help significantly reduce the time and effort required to deploy new applications or updates.Improved resilience: Cloud-native architecture can also help improve the resilience of applications. By using techniques such as load balancing and automatic failover, applications can be designed to continue running even in the event of a failure. This helps ensure that applications remain available to users, even in the event of disruption.Better performance: Cloud-native architecture can lead to better performance for applications. By using cloud providers’ global networks, applications can be deployed closer to users, reducing latency and improving the overall user experience. Additionally, the use of containerization and microservices can help improve the performance of the individual components of an application.Improved collaboration: Cloud-native architecture can also improve collaboration among developers. By using cloud-based development tools and platforms, developers can work together more easily and efficiently, regardless of their location. Additionally, the use of containerization and microservices can help promote collaboration among teams by breaking down applications into smaller, more manageable components.Better monitoring: Cloud-native architecture can also enable better monitoring of applications. Cloud providers typically offer a range of monitoring tools, such as real-time metrics and log analysis, that can be used to track the performance and usage of applications. This can help organizations quickly identify and resolve any issues that may arise.Better business outcomes: All the aforementioned benefits can lead to better business outcomes. Cloud-native architecture can help organizations deploy new applications, improve the performance and availability of existing applications, and reduce the overall cost of running applications quickly and easily. This can help organizations stay competitive, improve customer satisfaction, and achieve their business goals.

Essentially, there is no silver bullet when it comes to architecting cloud-native applications – the method of architecture heavily depends on the primal stage of defining factors of the application use cases, such as the following:

Scalability requirements: How much traffic and usage is the application expected to handle and how quickly does it need to scale to meet changing demands?Performance needs: What are the performance requirements of the application and how do they impact the architecture?Security considerations: What level of security is required for the application and how does it impact the architecture?Compliance requirements: Are there any specific compliance regulations that the application must adhere to and how do they impact the architecture?Deployment considerations: How and where will the application be deployed? Will it be deployed across multiple cloud providers, availability zones, or on-premises?Resilience and fault-tolerance: How should the architecture be designed to handle service failures and ensure high availability?Operational requirements: How should the architecture be designed to facilitate monitoring, logging, tracing, and troubleshooting of the application in production so that compliance policies such as service-level indicators (SLIs), service-level objectives (SLOs), and error budgets can be applied to the telemetry data that’s been collected?Cost and budget: What is the budget for the application and how does it impact the architecture?Future scalability and extensibility: How should the architecture be designed to allow for future scalability and extensibility of the application?Integration with existing systems: How should the architecture be designed to integrate with existing systems and data sources?

While we will discuss a few of those factors in detail in the subsequent chapters, it is important to address the problems and identify the pain points that warrant the use of a cloud-native approach and a design architecture to enable more efficient, scalable systems.

Cloud models

Before we sail into understanding the cloud-native model, it is prudent to understand the existing cloud models for deployment. In this book, to understand the different cloud-native deployment models, I will segregate the cloud offering into two categories.

Cloud deployment model

This deployment model explains strategies of cloud infrastructure deployment from the perspective of the cloud architecture used within the organization and the type of cloud offering that the organization chooses for deployment.

Public cloud

The public cloud is a cloud deployment model in which resources and services are made available to the public over the internet. This includes a wide range of services, such as computing power, storage, and software applications. Public cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), own and operate the infrastructure and make it available to customers over the internet. Public cloud providers offer a range of services, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS), which can be used on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Advantages of the public cloud include flexibility and scalability, as well as cost savings, as customers only pay for the resources they use and do not need to invest in and maintain their infrastructure. Public cloud providers also handle the maintenance and updates/upgrades of the infrastructure, which can free up IT staff to focus on other tasks. Additionally, public clouds are known for providing a global reach, with multiple locations and availability zones, which can help with disaster recovery and business continuity.

While the public cloud offers many advantages, there are also a few potential disadvantages to consider:

Security concerns: Public cloud providers are responsible for securing the infrastructure, but customers are responsible for securing their data and applications. This can create security gaps, especially if customers do not have the necessary expertise or resources to properly secure their data and applications.Limited control and customization: Public cloud providers offer a wide range of services and features, but customers may not have the same level of control and customization as they would with their own on-premises infrastructure.Vendor lock-in: Public cloud providers may use proprietary technologies, which can make it difficult and costly for customers to switch to a different provider if they are not satisfied with the service or if their needs change. The operational cost may also rise significantly if the cloud vendor decides to increase the cost of their services, which is difficult to counter in this scenario.Dependence on internet connectivity: Public cloud services are provided over the internet, which means that customers must have a reliable internet connection to access their data and applications. This can be an issue in areas with limited or unreliable internet connectivity.Compliance: Public cloud providers may not be able to meet the compliance and regulatory requirements of certain industries, such as healthcare and finance, which may prohibit the use of public cloud services.Data sovereignty: Some organizations may have data sovereignty requirements that prohibit them from storing their data outside of their own country, and therefore may not be able to use public cloud services.

It’s important to carefully evaluate your organization’s specific needs and constraints, and weigh them against the benefits of public cloud, before deciding to use public cloud services.

Private cloud

A private cloud is a cloud deployment model in which resources and services are made available only to a specific organization or group of users and are typically operated on-premises or within a dedicated data center. Private clouds are often built using the same technologies as public clouds, such as virtualization, but they are not shared with other organizations. This allows for greater control and customization, as well as higher levels of security and compliance.

In a private cloud, an organization can have full control of the infrastructure and can configure and manage it according to its specific needs and requirements. This allows organizations to have a high degree of customization, which can be important for certain applications or workloads.

The advantages of a private cloud include the following:

Greater control and customization: An organization has full control over the infrastructure and can configure and manage it to meet its specific needsImproved security: Since the infrastructure is not shared with other organizations, it can be more secure and better protected against external threatsCompliance: Private clouds can be configured to meet the compliance and regulatory requirements of specific industries, such as healthcare and financeData sovereignty: Organizations that have data sovereignty requirements can ensure that their data is stored within their own country

Here are some of the disadvantages of a private cloud:

Higher cost: Building and maintaining a private cloud can be more expensive than using a public cloud as an organization has to invest in and maintain its infrastructureLimited scalability: A private cloud may not be able to scale as easily as a public cloud, which can be an issue if an organization’s needs changeLimited expertise: An organization may not have the same level of expertise and resources as a public cloud provider, which can make it more difficult to properly maintain and update the infrastructure

It’s important to carefully evaluate the specific needs and constraints of an organization before deciding to use private cloud services.

Hybrid cloud

A hybrid cloud is a combination of public and private clouds, where sensitive data and workloads are kept on-premises or in a private cloud, while less sensitive data and workloads are in a public cloud. This approach allows organizations to take advantage of the benefits of both public and private clouds while minimizing the risks and costs associated with each.

With hybrid cloud, organizations can use public cloud services, such as IaaS and SaaS, to handle non-sensitive workloads, such as web-facing applications and testing environments. At the same time, they can keep sensitive data and workloads, such as financial data or customer data, on-premises or in a private cloud, where they have more control and security.

Here are some of the advantages of a hybrid cloud:

Flexibility: Organizations can use the best cloud services for each workload, which can help improve cost-efficiency and performanceImproved security: Organizations can keep sensitive data and workloads on-premises or in a private cloud, where they have more control and securityCompliance: Organizations can use public cloud services to handle non-sensitive workloads while keeping sensitive data and workloads on-premises or in a private cloud to meet compliance and regulatory requirementsData sovereignty: Organizations can store sensitive data on-premises or in a private cloud to meet data sovereignty requirements

Disadvantages of a hybrid cloud include the following:

Complexity: Managing a hybrid cloud environment can be more complex than managing a public or private cloud, as organizations need to integrate and manage multiple cloud servicesLimited scalability: A hybrid cloud may not be able to scale as easily as a public cloud, which can be an issue if an organization’s needs changeLimited expertise: An organization may not have the same level of expertise and resources as a public cloud provider, which can make it more difficult to properly maintain and update the infrastructureHybrid cloud latency: If an application in one environment is communicating with a service in another cloud environment, there’s a high chance for a bottleneck to be created due to the higher latency of one of the services, leading to increasing the overall latency of the applications

It’s important to note that a hybrid cloud environment requires a good level of coordination and communication between the different parts of the organization, as well as with the different cloud providers, to ensure that the different services and data are properly integrated and secured.

Multi-cloud

Multi-cloud is a deployment model in which an organization uses multiple cloud services from different providers, rather than relying on a single provider. By using multiple cloud services, organizations can avoid vendor lock-in, improve resilience, and take advantage of the best features and pricing from different providers.

For instance, an organization might use AWS for its computing needs, Microsoft Azure for its storage needs, and GCP for its big data analytics needs. Each of these providers offers different services and features that are better suited to certain workloads and use cases, and by using multiple providers, an organization can select the best provider for each workload.

Let’s look at some of the advantages of the multi-cloud model:

Avoid vendor lock-in: By using multiple cloud services, organizations can avoid becoming too dependent on a single provider, which can be a problem if that provider raises prices or experiences service disruptionsImproved resilience: By using multiple cloud services, organizations can improve their resilience to service disruptions or outages as they can fail over to a different provider if one provider experiences an outageBest features and pricing: By using multiple cloud services, organizations can take advantage of the best features and pricing from different providers, which can help improve cost-efficiency and performanceFlexibility: Multi-cloud deployment allows organizations to pick and choose the services that best fit their needs, rather than being limited to the services offered by a single provider

The disadvantages of the multi-cloud model include the following:

Complexity: Managing multiple cloud services from different providers can be more complex than managing a single provider as organizations need to integrate and manage multiple cloud services.Limited scalability: A multi-cloud environment may not be able to scale as easily as a single-cloud environment, which can be an issue if an organization’s needs change.Limited expertise: An organization may not have the same level of expertise and resources as a public cloud provider, which can make it more difficult to properly maintain and update the infrastructure.Higher costs: Managing multiple cloud services from different providers can be more expensive than using a single provider as organizations need to pay for services and resources from multiple providers. Also, the organization would have to hire multiple engineers that had expertise across all cloud vendors.

It’s important for organizations to carefully evaluate their specific needs and constraints, and weigh them against the benefits of multi-cloud, before deciding to use multi-cloud services.

Community cloud

A community cloud is a type of private cloud that is shared by a group of organizations that has similar requirements and concerns. This type of cloud is typically owned, operated, and managed by a third-party provider, and is used by a specific community, such as a group of businesses in a particular industry or a group of government agencies.

Community cloud is a way for organizations to share the costs and benefits of a private cloud infrastructure while maintaining control over their data and applications. For example, a group of healthcare providers may set up a community cloud to share electronic medical records and other healthcare-related data and applications.

The advantages of a community cloud include the following:

Cost savings: Organizations can share the costs of building and maintaining a private cloud infrastructure, which can help reduce costsSpecialized resources and expertise: Community clouds are typically managed by third-party providers that have specialized resources and expertise, which can help improve performance and securityCompliance: Community clouds can be configured to meet the compliance and regulatory requirements of specific industries, such as healthcare and financeData sovereignty: Organizations that have data sovereignty requirements can ensure that their data is stored within their own country

Let’s look at some of the disadvantages of a community cloud:

Limited control and customization: Organizations may not have the same level of control and customization as they would with their own on-premises infrastructureSecurity concerns: Organizations are responsible for securing their data and applications, but they may not have the necessary expertise or resources to properly secure their data and applicationsLimited scalability: A community cloud may not be able to scale as easily as a public cloud, which can be an issue if an organization’s needs changeLimited expertise: An organization may not have the same level of expertise and resources as a public cloud provider, which can make it more difficult to properly maintain and update the infrastructure

It’s important for organizations to carefully evaluate their specific needs and constraints, and weigh them against the benefits of community cloud, before deciding to use community cloud services. Additionally, it’s important for organizations using a community cloud to establish clear governance and service-level agreements with other members of the community to ensure smooth operation and prevent conflicts.

Important note

Mostly within organizations in the industry, you would observe a multi-cloud architecture. A part of that reason is that each cloud vendor delivers a particular service in a more efficient way that fits the use case of the application. For those reasons, it is very important to avoid vendor lock-in. This is only feasible if the application is developed in a cloud-native way.

Cloud computing service categories

Cloud computing service categories refer to different levels of abstraction and control over the underlying infrastructure, and they provide different types of services and capabilities. These can be seen in the following diagram:

Figure 1.1 – Cloud service model

Let’s take a closer look.

IaaS

IaaS is a cloud computing service category that provides virtualized computing resources over the internet. IaaS providers offer a range of services, including servers, storage, and networking, which can be rented on demand, rather than you having to build and maintain the infrastructure in-house. IaaS providers typically use virtualization technology to create a pool of resources that can be used by multiple customers.

IaaS providers typically offer a range of services, including the following:

Virtual machines (VMs): Customers can rent VMs with specific configurations of CPU, memory, and storage. This allows them to run their operating systems and applications on VMs.Storage: IaaS providers offer various storage options, such as block storage, object storage, and file storage, that customers can use to store their data.Networking: IaaS providers offer virtual networks that customers can use to connect their VMs and storage to the internet, as well as to other VMs and services.

The advantages of using IaaS include the following:

Cost savings: Organizations can rent computing resources on demand, rather than building and maintaining their own infrastructure. This can help reduce capital and operational expenses.Scalability: Organizations can easily scale their computing resources up or down as needed, which can help improve cost-efficiency and performance.Flexibility: Organizations can choose from a range of VM configurations and storage options, which can help improve performance and security.Improved disaster recovery: Organizations can use IaaS providers to create backups and replicas of their VMs and storage in different locations, which can help improve disaster recovery and business continuity.

Here are the disadvantages of using IaaS:

Limited control: Organizations may not have the same level of control and customization as they would with their own on-premises infrastructureSecurity concerns: Organizations are responsible for securing their VMs and storage, but they may not have the necessary expertise or resources to properly secure their data and applications

PaaS

PaaS is a category of cloud computing services that provides a platform for developers to build, test, and deploy applications without the complexity of managing the underlying infrastructure. PaaS providers typically offer a web server, database, and other tools needed to run an application, such as programming languages, frameworks, and libraries.

PaaS providers typically offer a range of services, such as the following:

Development tools and environments, such as integrated development environments (IDEs), version control systems, and debugging tools.Deployment and scaling tools, such as automatic load balancing and scaling, and easy rollback and roll-forward of application versions.Database services, such as SQL and NoSQL databases, and data storage services.Security and compliance features, such as encryption, authentication, and access controls.Monitoring and analytics tools, such as logging, performance monitoring, and error reporting.Examples of popular PaaS providers include Heroku, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, and Google App Engine. These providers offer a variety of services and tools to help developers quickly and easily build, test, and deploy their applications, without the need to manage the underlying infrastructure. Additionally, PaaS providers often offer usage-based pricing models, making them cost-effective for small and medium-sized businesses.

Let’s look at some of the advantages of using PaaS:

Faster time to market: Developers can quickly build, test, and deploy applications without the need to manage the underlying infrastructure, which can help reduce the time to market for new applications.Scalability: PaaS providers often offer automatic scaling, which allows applications to scale up or down as needed, based on usage or demandLower costs: PaaS providers often offer pay-as-you-go pricing models, which can help reduce costs for small and medium-sized businessesReduced complexity: PaaS providers often offer pre-configured development environments and tools, which can help reduce the complexity of application development and deploymentImproved collaboration: PaaS providers often offer collaboration tools, such as version control systems, which can help improve collaboration among developers

Here are some of the disadvantages of using PaaS:

Limited control: Developers may not have the same level of control and customization as they would with their own infrastructure or with an IaaS providerVendor lock-in: Developers may become reliant on the PaaS provider’s tools and services, which can make it difficult to switch providers in the futureCompatibility issues: Applications developed on one PaaS provider may not be compatible with another provider, which can limit flexibility and portabilitySecurity concerns: Developers are responsible for securing their applications and data, but they may not have the necessary expertise or resources to properly secure their applications and data

SaaS

SaaS is a software delivery model in which a software application is hosted by a third-party provider and made available to customers over the internet. SaaS providers manage and maintain the infrastructure, security, and scalability of the software, while customers access the software through a web browser or other remote means.

SaaS applications are typically subscription-based, with customers paying a monthly or annual fee for access. They can be used for a wide range of purposes, including customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, and human resources management, among others.

SaaS applications are often accessed through a web browser but can also be accessed through mobile apps. They can be used by businesses of all sizes and in a variety of industries, from small start-ups to large enterprise companies. A few examples of applications with SaaS offerings are Jira, Office 365, and Stripe.

The advantages of using SaaS include the following:

Easy access: SaaS applications can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, making it convenient for users to access applications from any location or device.Scalability: SaaS providers often offer automatic scaling, which allows applications to scale up or down as needed, based on usage or demand.Lower costs: SaaS providers often offer pay-as-you-go pricing models, which can help reduce costs for small and medium-sized businesses. Additionally, SaaS providers are responsible for maintaining the underlying infrastructure and software, which can help reduce IT costs for organizations.Faster implementation: SaaS applications can be quickly deployed, often within hours or days, without the need for hardware or software installation.Improved collaboration: SaaS applications often include collaboration tools, such as document sharing and project management tools, which can help improve collaboration among team members.

The disadvantages of using SaaS include the following:

Limited control: Users may not have the same level of control and customization as they would with on-premises softwareSecurity concerns: SaaS providers are responsible for securing the underlying infrastructure and software, but users are responsible for securing their data and applicationsDependence on internet connectivity: SaaS applications require a reliable internet connection, and downtime or slow internet speeds can impact productivity and user satisfactionData ownership: Users may have limited control over their data, and there may be limitations on exporting or transferring data to other systemsVendor lock-in: Users may become reliant on the SaaS provider’s applications and services, which can make it difficult to switch providers in the future

Overall, SaaS is a popular and cost-effective way for businesses to access and use software applications without the need to manage and maintain the underlying infrastructure

Approach to thinking cloud-native

As organizations increasingly adopt cloud computing to improve their agility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, it’s becoming critical to think “cloud-native” when designing, building, and deploying applications in the cloud. Cloud-native is an approach that emphasizes the use of cloud computing services, microservices architecture, and containerization to enable applications to be developed and deployed in a more efficient, flexible, and scalable manner.

To help organizations assess their cloud-native capabilities and maturity, the CNCF has developed the Cloud Native Maturity Model (CNMM) 2.0. This model provides a framework for organizations to evaluate their cloud-native practices across four levels of maturity: starting out, building momentum, maturing, and leading. Each level includes a set of best practices and capabilities that organizations should strive for as they progress toward cloud-native excellence. By following this model, organizations can ensure that they are building and deploying cloud applications that are optimized for performance, resilience, and scalability, and that can adapt to the dynamic nature of the cloud computing landscape.

CNMM 2.0

CNMM 2.0 is a framework that helps organizations assess and improve their capabilities in developing, deploying, and operating cloud-native applications. It provides a set of best practices and guidelines for designing, building, and running cloud-native applications, along with a set of metrics and indicators to measure an organization’s progress and maturity level in implementing these best practices.

The model defines four maturity levels, each representing a different stage of cloud-native maturity – Initial, Managed, Proactive, and Optimized. Each level builds on the previous one and has a set of specific characteristics, best practices, and goals that organizations need to achieve to advance to the next level.

CNMM 2.0 is designed to be flexible and adaptable and can be used in any organization, regardless of its size, industry, or cloud provider. It’s not limited to a specific cloud service provider.

It’s a continuously evolving model that’s updated regularly to reflect the latest trends and best practices in cloud-native development and operations.

CNMM 2.0 is a framework that is structured around four maturity levels and four key components. Let’s take a look.

Maturity levels

The model defines four maturity levels that organizations can achieve in developing, deploying, and operating cloud-native applications. These levels are displayed in the following diagram:

Figure 1.2 – CNMM paradigm

Level 1 – Initial: This level represents an organization’s first steps toward cloud-native development and deployment. Organizations at this level may have limited experience with cloud-native technologies and may rely on manual processes and ad hoc solutions.

Here are the characteristics of this level:

Limited use and understanding of cloud-native technologiesMonolithic application architectureLimited automation and orchestrationManual scaling and provisioning of resourcesLimited monitoring and analytics capabilitiesBasic security measures

Here are the challenges and limitations:

Difficulty in scaling and managing the applicationA limited understanding of these technologies makes the implementation more error-prone and time-consumingLimited ability to respond to changes in demandLack of flexibility and agilityLimited ability to diagnose and troubleshoot issuesIncreased risk of security breachesLimited cost optimizationLevel 2 – Managed: This level represents a more mature approach to cloud-native development and deployment, with a focus on automation, governance, and standardization. Organizations at this level have implemented basic cloud-native best practices and have a clear understanding of the benefits and limitations of cloud-native technologies.

Here are the characteristics of this level:

Adoption of cloud-native technologiesMicroservices architectureAutomated scaling and provisioning of resourcesBasic monitoring and analytics capabilitiesImproved security measures

Here are the challenges and limitations:

Difficulty in managing the complexity of microservicesLimited ability to optimize resourcesLimited ability to diagnose and troubleshoot issuesLimited ability to respond to changes in demandLimited cost optimizationLevel 3 – Proactive: This level represents an advanced level of cloud-native maturity, with a focus on continuous improvement, proactive monitoring, and optimization. Organizations at this level have implemented advanced cloud-native best practices and have a deep understanding of the benefits and limitations of cloud-native technologies.

Here are the characteristics of this level:

Advanced use of cloud-native technologies and practicesSelf-healing systemsAdvanced automation and orchestrationAdvanced monitoring and analytics capabilitiesAdvanced security measuresOptimization of resources

Here are the challenges and limitations:

Complexity in maintaining and updating automation and orchestrationDifficulty in keeping up with the fast-paced evolution of cloud-native technologiesDifficulty in maintaining compliance with security and regulatory requirementsLevel 4 – Optimized: This level represents the highest level of cloud-native maturity, with a focus on innovation, experimentation, and optimization. Organizations at this level have implemented leading-edge cloud-native best practices and have a deep understanding of the benefits and limitations of cloud-native technologies.

Here are the characteristics of this level:

Fully optimized use of cloud-native technologies and practicesContinuous integration and deliveryPredictive analytics and proactive problem resolutionAdvanced security measuresCost optimization

Here are the challenges and limitations:

Difficulty in keeping up with the latest trends and innovations in cloud-native technologiesDifficulty in implementing advanced security measuresDifficulty in maintaining cost optimization

Key components

The model defines four key components that organizations need to focus on to achieve different maturity levels. These components are depicted in the following figure:

Figure 1.3 – Software deployment component realm

Let’s take a look at each component one by one:

Application Architecture

Application architecture refers to the design and structure of a cloud-native application. It includes characteristics, such as microservices architecture, containerization, cloud agnosticism, and continuous delivery and deployment, all of which are specific to cloud-native applications. These characteristics allow for greater flexibility and scalability in deployment and management on a cloud platform. Best practices for designing and building cloud-native applications include starting small and growing incrementally, designing for failure, using cloud-native services, and leveraging automation.

Here are the characteristics of cloud-native architecture:

Microservices architecture: Cloud-native applications are typically built using a microservices architecture, which involves breaking down a monolithic application into smaller, independent services that can be deployed and managed separately. This allows for greater flexibility and scalability in deployment and management on a cloud platform.Containerization: Cloud-native applications are often packaged and deployed using containers, which are lightweight, portable, and self-sufficient units that can run consistently across different environments. This allows for greater consistency and ease of deployment across different cloud providers and on-premises environments.Cloud-agnostic: Cloud-native applications are designed to be cloud-agnostic, meaning they can run on any cloud platform and can easily be moved from one platform to another. This allows for greater flexibility in choosing a cloud provider and in avoiding vendor lock-in.Continuous delivery and deployment: Cloud-native applications are designed to make use of automated processes and tools for development and operations, such as CI/CD to speed up the development and deployment cycle.

Let’s look at the best practices for designing and building cloud-native applications:

Starting small and grow incrementally: Start with a small, simple service and incrementally add more services as needed. This allows for a more manageable and scalable development process.Designing for failure: Cloud-native applications should be designed to handle failures gracefully, such as by using circuit breakers, load balancers, and self-healing mechanisms.Using cloud-native services: Utilize the native services provided by the cloud platform, such as databases, message queues, and storage services, to reduce the need for custom infrastructure.Leveraging automation: Automate as much of the development and deployment process as possible. An example would be to use IaC and CI/CD tools to speed up the development and deployment cycle.Automation and Orchestration

Automation and orchestration are key components in cloud-native environments as they help speed up the development and deployment cycle, ensure consistency and reliability in the deployment process, and enable teams to focus on more strategic and value-adding activities. Automation can be achieved by using configuration management tools such as Ansible, Puppet, or Chef to automate the provisioning and configuration of infrastructure, using container orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, or Mesos to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containers, and using CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, Travis CI, or CircleCI to automate the build, test, and deployment process.

Let’s look at the importance of automation in cloud-native environments:

Automation helps speed up the development and deployment cycle, reducing the time and cost of launching applications to marketAutomation also helps ensure consistency and reliability in the deployment process, reducing the risk of human errorAutomation enables teams to focus on more strategic and value-adding activities

Here are the best practices for automation and orchestration:

Use an automation