Cloud Application Development: A Step-By-Step Guide

Today, almost 90% of companies integrate cloud computing into their operations, and cloud-based apps are becoming the go-to solution. This isn’t surprising, given that traditional infrastructure often can’t keep up with the growing demands of modern businesses, like higher data volumes, rising user expectations, and the need for real-time processing. 

Cloud application development comes with a flexible, scalable, and cost-effective solution to these problems. Organizations can build apps that work on any internet-connected device without the need for extensive local infrastructure. 

This article discusses cloud app development, along with its main benefits, challenges, and development steps, drawing on Neontri’s experience.

Key takeaways:

• Cloud-based application development allows businesses to create scalable and flexible apps that run on remote servers, reducing reliance on local infrastructure.
• Developing apps in the cloud comes with benefits such as cost savings, stronger security, faster time-to-market, and higher quality.
• Despite all the benefits, companies might experience challenges with security, performance, interoperability, and talent availability.
• To build successful cloud-based apps, organizations need to follow practical steps—from defining project goals, hiring a team, and selecting a cloud provider to planning architecture, and launching the app with ongoing maintenance.

What is cloud application development?

Cloud application development refers to the process of designing, building, and deploying software that runs on cloud infrastructure instead of traditional local servers. While users access these apps through a web or mobile browser, all heavy data computing takes place on a remote server via APIs. As a result, the user’s device only sends information, while the cloud environment handles the main processing.

Companies can choose from four common cloud deployment models, each of which influences how cloud applications are developed, managed, and scaled:

Apart from a deployment model, companies need to also select a cloud development platform. There are three main types, and each offers a different way to use the cloud for business. Often, businesses mix these options based on the size, complexity, and scalability needs of their projects.

Later in the article, we’ll discuss how these models break down into specific tools that developers use to build and manage cloud applications.

Application development in the cloud: Key benefits

Cloud application development changes the way businesses build and deploy software. It offers a new approach that lays the foundation for future success.

• Scalability and flexibility: Using cloud-based services enables organizations to easily scale their resources up and down without major infrastructure changes. Based on sudden spikes or drops in traffic or demand, businesses can simply add or reduce cloud storage and computing power as needed. This isn’t possible with traditional hardware services, where companies must set up extra servers—a process that is both costly and time-consuming.

• High-quality: By moving development to the cloud, dev teams can continuously improve apps. So, whenever changes are needed, developers can use microservices to update just certain components rather than rebuild the whole application. This shortens update time from months to minutes, resulting in greater software quality.

• Cost savings: Companies can save money by letting cloud service providers manage and maintain their IT systems. They no longer need an in-house IT team and conventional hardware servers to build applications, as everything is taken care of by the vendor. Providers typically offer pay-as-you-go pricing models, so organizations can pay only for the services they use, which helps optimize operational costs and reduce unnecessary expenses.

• Enhanced security: Cloud applications provide cutting-edge firewalls, encryption mechanisms, and regular upgrades to safeguard applications against cyber threats. Also, cloud providers have dedicated teams and resources to monitor and respond to any security issues that can take place. 
• Accelerated time-to-market: Cloud development makes it faster to release changes and new features. In fact, 73% of businesses say that cloud-native development results in quicker development and launch. Continuous integration and delivery simplify the deployment process, which reduces time-to-market and gives businesses a strong advantage over competitors. 

Step-by-step process for developing cloud-based apps

To successfully develop a cloud application, follow the steps below.

Step #1: Define project scope and budget

Think about the purpose of your app, its main features, budget, and the results you want it to achieve. Setting boundaries for the research will help you focus on the most important market trends, user needs, and competition insights.

Without a clear budget, businesses might consider options beyond their financial reach, and vague goals make the research too general. It’s always better to define these aspects right from the very beginning so that further steps will fall in line with your business plan.

Step #2: Explore market trends and opportunities

When you analyze the cloud apps and strategies of other businesses, you can learn what works and what doesn’t. This gives you a good idea of the problems your target audience is having and how you can help them.The most successful cloud apps are the ones that came out of in-depth research and finding a gap in the market.

Step #3: Hire a cloud development team

Once you have analyzed the market along with the user needs and established clear goals for your cloud application, it’s time to hire software developers. There are usually three main options:

• Hiring freelancers;
• Building an in-house team;
• Outsourcing to a software development company. 

Here’s a quick comparison of these engagement models.

Neontri’s recommendation: Creating cloud-based applications involves regular updates and might require adding new features as the project progresses to meet market demands. Therefore, you need to choose a development team that can deliver these changes quickly.

Step #4: Choose key app features 

Identify the core features of your cloud app to build an MVP. Remember, these features should reflect the core idea of ​​your product and be easy to develop. The goal at this stage is to create a basic version of the app that solves the main problems of users.

Spend resources on the features that will meet your target audience needs. You may take a minimal viable product to test your software with real users and get feedback to make improvements.

Step #5: Find a trusted cloud services provider

The process of finding a provider might not be so easy, but this is an important step in developing cloud applications. To ensure the best fit for your cloud application, consider the following factors when reviewing providers:

• Price
• Compliance
• Integrations
• Customer support 

Take your time, carefully weigh your options, and then make a decision. The choice will impact scalability, security, performance, and overall costs, so it should be in line with your technical requirements and business needs. Key players include:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Microsoft Azure
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP) 

Together, they account for 66% of the global cloud infrastructure market. However, there are also other providers like IBM Cloud, Salesforce Cloud or Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). 

Step #6: Plan architecture

The app architecture is a blueprint that outlines how the app will function. The way it’s designed will influence how effectively the application works, how easy it is to scale, and how well it connects with other technologies. There are generally four main types of cloud app architectures to consider:

• Monolithic: The app is developed as a single, tightly integrated unit. All components are interconnected and dependent on one another. Even though it’s simple to design, it has limited scalability and can be difficult to update in the long run.

• Microservices: In this case, the app is broken down into small, separate services which have their own specific role and communicate through APIs. This is a flexible and scalable solution, but it might have performance problems because of higher complexity.

• Serverless: The application runs in small, event-driven functions without the need for a server. It can be a cost-effective and flexible option, but it’s not ideal for tasks that need a lot of resources.

• Hybrid: ​​Combining on-site infrastructure with public and/or private cloud resources, hybrid cloud architecture offers a somewhat versatile application. Hybrid cloud software might, however, run across security concerns and integration difficulties. 

Step #7: Decide on your app’s tech stack

There is no one-size-fits-all answer for choosing a tech stack. The choice depends on the skills and resources of the team. To make a good choice, take into account factors like:

• Project scope
• Scalability requirements
• Number and type of integrations
• Safety concerns

Here are some of the most popular tech stack options for cloud-based app development:

Step #8: Design the application

Naturally, the app’s design is entirely your choice. However, it should also align with what your target audience prefers. To make the UI/UX design process more effective, it’s good to keep in mind some general recommendations such as responsive design, intuitive navigation, and accessibility for people with disabilities.

Cloud-based software should provide a consistent experience on different devices and screen sizes, adjusting easily as needed. It should also be flexible enough to grow naturally over time if new features are needed. 

Step #9: Develop MVP and run tests

Start developing your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Focus here on creating a functional app with just enough features to test with real users and gather feedback.

During development, regularly run tests (e.g., functional, usability, performance tests) to check if the app works smoothly and meets the technical requirements. As a result, the development team can identify any bugs or issues early on to deliver a better end product.

Step #10: Launch and maintain

After all the testing and adjustments, launch your cloud application to the users. Once the app is live, it’s also very important to update it regularly—fix bugs, add new features, and check security. Ongoing maintenance helps keep the app running smoothly and ensures it continues to meet user needs.

Tools and technologies used in cloud application development

To build, launch, and manage cloud-based applications, businesses rely on a variety of platforms, services, and tools. We can organize these tools into three main layers, each having a specific role in the development process.

1. Infrastructure layer: It’s the foundation, providing the basic infrastructure (servers, storage, networks) on which everything is built. The most popular examples include: 

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Microsoft Azure
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• IBM Cloud
• Oracle Cloud

2. Platform layer: Development platforms provide a ready-to-use environment that helps developers build and deploy applications, so they don’t have to worry about managing servers, networking, or scaling. Examples:

• Heroku
• Google App Engine
• Microsoft Azure App Service
• AWS Elastic Beanstalk
• Red Hat OpenShift

3. Application layer (SaaS and Devs tools): This layer encompasses programming frameworks, databases, DevOps tools, and other services that developers use inside a platform to build, run, and maintain cloud applications. We can break them into the subcategories:

• Databases: MongoDB Atlas, Firebase, Amazon RDS
• Containers and orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes
• CI/CD tools: GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD
• Monitoring and logging: Prometheus, Datadog, New Relic
• Security tools: Cloudflare, HashiCorp Vault
• Serverless computing: AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions

All these three layers work together—while cloud platforms provide the base, development platforms simplify management, and tools allow developers to build and optimize cloud applications.

Common challenges in cloud-native development

During the process of developing cloud-based applications, companies can run across a few serious problems. What are they and how to mitigate them.

Security concerns

Every organization prioritizes safe business processes. However, cloud environments are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. While the provider is responsible for the security of cloud infrastructure, it has no control over the browsers that consumers use to access the application. 

Although browsers offer some security features, they are not enough to protect against cyber threats. In fact, 95% of companies are concerned about their cloud security setup due to data breaches, insecure APIs, and unauthorized access.

How to overcome it: Data encryption and SSL on the client side can guarantee a secure connection and protect sensitive data, but developers need to take more robust steps to protect data and secure user interactions outside of browsers.

Neontri’s recommendation: Adopt a zero-trust security model and regularly update security protocols. Multi-factor authentication, data encryption, and continuous monitoring can help protect your cloud environment from evolving threats.

Scalability and performance management

Cloud apps need to adjust resources automatically to handle changes in traffic. Most, if not all, cloud application development companies claim to offer scalable services, but not all are able to actually provide them. Sudden traffic spikes can overload the backend, resulting in slowdowns and performance issues.

How to overcome it: Use a hybrid cloud approach that allows for adjusting cloud application development services up or down, giving you the flexibility and scalability you need. This helps avoid extra costs for unused resources while keeping the app running without slowdowns.

Interoperability and portability

Interoperability and portability are key to any cloud system. Interoperability in the cloud framework means writing code that works with many cloud providers despite their variations. However, system communication is another major cloud migration difficulty. If you want your cloud software to be portable, you need to be able to operate components or systems designed for one cloud environment in another.

How to overcome it: Adopt cloud computing standards to enable interoperability—accessible data makes applications and platforms interact better. When you standardize operational protocols, they are easier to use and less expensive to set up, handle, and keep up to date.

Downtime and reliability

The real power of cloud apps lies in their ability to work with minimal or no downtime, even after a catastrophic incident. However, cloud companies frequently experience outages due to their lack of 24/7 support. And even major cloud providers can suffer from outages. 

How to overcome it: Keep an eye on these services’ performance, resilience, SLAs, usage and business dependencies. Make sure that your cloud apps are always available and check that your cloud storage provider offers the protection your company needs.

Lack of technical talent

A serious challenge for companies switching to cloud-based systems is the lack of the right technical expertise. Building cloud-based apps requires a skilled team with greater knowledge of cloud platforms, containerization, modern application architectures, and DevOps methodologies.

How to overcome it: There are different approaches companies can take to find specialists with the right skills. The most common options are in-house recruitment or outsourcing certain tasks to freelancers or cloud providers. 

Neontri’s recommendation: Why settle for a single approach? Consider a mix of upskilling your current staff and leveraging external expertise through partnerships or managed services. This way you will benefit from specialist knowledge without the need to build a new in-house team from scratch. 

Neontri, your reliable partner in cloud app development

Would you like to streamline your business with cloud-based solutions? With over 10 years of cloud migration and app development experience, our experts can lower your infrastructure costs while maximizing the scalability and flexibility of the cloud. Neontri combines technical expertise with innovative and creative solutions to build applications that drive real business impact.

We work with the top cloud providers, including Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure, to ensure you choose the best fit for your business. If you’re already using a cloud provider, we can also help optimize your existing systems to drive better results.

Since we also specialize in multi-cloud solutions, Neontri can lead you through the complexities of managing multiple cloud environments. Reach out to us to explore how we can transform your cloud strategy.

Final thoughts 

Cloud application development is a flexible and affordable way to develop modern software. It lets companies improve data security, increase resources as needed, and provide updates more quickly. 

But with great opportunities also come difficulties: Managing heavy traffic, ensuring that several systems work together well, and finding skilled workers can be challenging. Companies who want to effectively migrate to the cloud environment have to be aware of both its advantages and drawbacks and follow a well-defined development path.

FAQ

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