Cloud-Based Application Development: Ultimate Guide

The thing that makes IAAS one of the best for Cloud-based apps is the infrastructure. In this model, the entire complex infrastructure like servers, networks, visualization, hardware, storage, and whatnot is provided by a service provider like AWS.

On the other hand, being a client, you just have to create an API to access all those services. This way of developing an app reduces the hassle of creating the entire Cloud-based app development infrastructure. Hence, you don’t have to start from scratch to develop an app.

Some of the best examples of this are:

• Google Compute Engine
• Amazon Web Services
• Microsoft Azure

• Development Software
• Database and servers
• OS
• API (middlewares)
• Tools

Now, for Cloud-based mobile app development based on this model, you just need to have the code of the app you want to develop.

This highly decreases the time required to build the app and to hit the market. The development tools provided by the providers of this model are regularly updated.

Moreover, if you want to make changes to your app, you can seamlessly do it.

The service providers that come under this Cloud-based app development model are:

• Apache Stratos
• AWS Elastic Beanstalk
• Force.com
• Google App Engine
• OpenShift

The SaaS Cloud-based model is the most popular type of app development model. It has been widely used by millions of people and businesses around the world. For instance, Google Drive, developed using advanced ‘cloud programming languages‘, has crossed 1 billion users in 2020.

The sole reason behind this whopping number is the ease of usage and availability on almost all devices, whether it is a phone, laptop, or tablet.

The SaaS based apps do not run on the user’s phone or device but on third-party hardware. Moreover, the software for this model is also remotely hosted.

This saves a lot of money for the customers as they do not have to update the app or buy any specific hardware.

The best examples of this model are:

• Google Drive
• Google Docs
• G-Suite
• Slack

This message is powerful enough to mess with anyone’s mind in an instant. Now, most of these messages occur due to security issues or by the customer’s end.

Customer error is not in your control, but the security of the app is. As your Cloud-based app will have to store a lot of data along with sensitive information of the users.

It becomes essential to make security the number one concern in the Cloud-based Mobile App Development process.

For this, you need to employ all the latest methods of security, as data encryption and firewalls.

As there are countless APIs linked to a Cloud-based application, it is necessary to shield them from cyber attacks. Consider using both symmetric and asymmetric methods of data encryption like:

• AES
• DES
• RSA
• Homomorphic
• SSL

In the development of a Cloud-based mobile app, the security of data is a big challenge. Hence, take care of it!

If you want to develop an app that provides an awesome customer experience, it is necessary to choose the best Cloud-based service provider.

Before opting for one, check if the providers of resources have multiple servers around the world.

Cloud service providers like AWS, Google, and Microsoft have servers all around the world.

This highly reduces the time of access (the loading time of the pages (<= 3 seconds) is reduced to a great extent). This happens irrespective of the location of the user. Hence, enhancing performance.

Moreover, it will be best if the cloud service provider has a CDN (content delivery network). It speeds up the content delivery process.

Now, it is pretty obvious that the user base of your app will increase, for which you need to upgrade your infrastructure.

But, timing plays a great role when you are scaling. Around 30% of startups will fail by the end of year 2.

About the scaling of the firm, do check if the platform offers the feature of scalability. If the users of your app are more than that a server can handle, it will become tough to manage. Your app can even fall in that case.

Scalability helps in managing the increasing users on a daily basis and thus, enhancing user experience.

You will never be sure of working with that tool, right? Hence, it is necessary to check if the solution has all the necessary features, and work properly.

If not, never go for that, too,l as it will slow down your Cloud-based mobile app development process.

Also, check for additional features that can add convenience to your overall process.

Well, when different components of an application can be distributed to different members of a team for development and updation, that is what microservices offer.

This is a great approach that can be taken up for the development process of a Cloud-based app. Why? Well, there are multiple benefits to this, such as:

• Less time needed: Instead of working on one part of the app, the entire team can be assigned different tasks. Each member can work on different parts of an app, which will save a lot of time.
• Fail-safe: As the parts of the cloud application are autonomous and can be segmented to work on independently, the entire application becomes fail-safe.
• Unlike the monolithic approach, where the whole application gets affected if one part fails. The microservices approach promises security of other parts, as they are separated. One can easily fix bugs in any part of the application without affecting the entire app.

Using third-party services, firms can deploy apps by linking them to cloud storage in the backend. If not this, then you can use the cloud computing platform itself to run the application code. Alternatively, if you are looking for the right server load balancing solution for high availability, Kemp Technologies LoadMasters would be a perfect choice.

By leveraging these ways of Cloud-based app deployment and development, you can foster a plethora of benefits from the Serverless Operation Approach like:

• Cost-effective: By using the Serverless approach in the development of a Cloud-based application, you can save a lot of capital involved in developing infrastructures like servers and databases.
• Easy to scale: As you have no physical servers to upgrade, it becomes easy to adjust new users in the existing network when they increase. Thus, decreasing the hassle of managing traffic and overloading.
• Seamless update: Again, as there are no physical servers to upgrade, you can seamlessly update your infrastructure without offering any downtime.

In this, various functions are in the form of code units that are executed only when they are triggered.

The running of these codes based on the events makes this approach provide scalability and flexibility.

The scalability, in this case, takes less time and cost.

Well, as there are a plethora of Cloud-based app choices. The size & other requirements of each app is different.

Thus, they all need different sets of resources. One of those resources is the database.

If you are planning to scale your app in the future, then traditional databases with fixed memory will not be a good choice to opt for.

Hence, it is best that you choose the database that can handle the future demands of the app.

Not to forget, it should be scalable. For this, you need to analyze the aspects and purpose of the app, along with the offerings in the market. When you have enough data about these factors, then only you can make the best choice.

For example, Netflix is a video streaming app that requires large databases for storing video content.

CICD expanded as a Continuous Integration, and Continuous Delivery approach is used to enable automation in the Cloud-based application development process.

Continuous integration is a process where multiple developers merge their code into a central repository systematically. Automated tests are run, and builds are developed after this.

On the other hand, Continuous Delivery deals with the release of the build codes to production. CD starts where CI ends after sending the codes to the testing phase.

CI/CD ensures that all the code changes are considered and tested well before deployment. All of this is totally automated. It is best to couple with a serverless, containers based approach.

Here are some app examples based on their complexity:

• Simple app: An app with a simple interface, 3-4 screens, and profile making a feature, etc., is considered a simple app.
• Database and API apps: This kind of app will include social media integration, location tracking, security feature, payments options, etc.
• Large scale apps: These apps have all the features described above, along with some more. Industry-grade apps are costlier than the ones mentioned above. Some examples of these apps are food delivery apps, cab service apps, video streaming apps, etc.

The price factor increases from Simple apps > Database and API apps > Large scale apps.

Based on the type of app you are designing, the technologies may vary. There can be many technologies that might be needed to develop an app, such as Xamarin, React Native, Flutter, Ionic, etc.

Now, one person may not know all of this. Hence, you will also need other people like designers, testers, marketers, R&D, etc.

In short, the size of the team will increase the cost, and the size of the team is also somehow dependent on the complexity of the app.

The prices of development are different all around the world. Moreover, different people charge differently for app development.

For example, if you hire a freelancer, you can get an MVP made in and around $10,000.

If you hire an in-house team, the cost of an MVP development of a Cloud-based app will be $25,000.

It will cost you $40,000 more, totaling about $65,000 from a local agency.

In contrast, the price of a Cloud-based app MVP will be $35 000 from an outsourcing agency.

Other than these, there are many other costs like maintenance cost, sales cost, marketing, and advertising, etc. These can add some extra numbers to the above-mentioned figures. All these prices can vary based on the location but will be near to these ranges.