Core Architecture On Azure

1. What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services—such as servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and analytics—over the internet (the cloud). Instead of owning and maintaining physical data centers, organizations can rent resources on demand from cloud providers.
Key Characteristics of Cloud Computing

• On-demand self-service – Users can provision resources whenever needed
• Scalability and elasticity – Resources scale up or down based on demand
• Pay-as-you-go pricing – Pay only for what you use
• High availability – Services are designed to be reliable and fault-tolerant

Cloud Computing Overview Figure 1:
High-level view of cloud computing where users access shared resources over the internet.

Types of Cloud Deployment Models

• Public Cloud – Services offered over the public internet (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
• Private Cloud – Dedicated cloud infrastructure for a single organization
• Hybrid Cloud – Combination of public and private clouds
• Multi-Cloud – Use of multiple cloud providers

Cloud Deployment Models Figure 2:
Public, Private, and Hybrid cloud deployment models.

Cloud Service Models

• IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) – Virtual machines, storage, networks

• PaaS (Platform as a Service) – Runtime environments and development platforms

• SaaS (Software as a Service) – Ready-to-use applications delivered via browser

Cloud Service Models Figure 3: Comparison of IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS layers.

2. What is DevOps?
DevOps is a set of practices, tools, and a cultural philosophy that aims to improve collaboration between Development (Dev) and Operations (Ops) teams. The goal is to deliver software faster, more reliably, and with higher quality.

Traditional vs DevOps Approach
In traditional software development, development and operations teams work in silos, leading to slow releases and frequent failures. DevOps breaks these silos by encouraging collaboration and automation.

Traditional vs DevOps Figure 4: Difference between traditional development and DevOps culture.

Core Principles of DevOps

• Collaboration and communication
• Automation
• Continuous improvement
• Customer-centric action DevOps Lifecycle The DevOps lifecycle is often represented as a continuous loop:

1. Plan
2. Code
3. Build
4. Test
5. Release
6. Deploy
7. Operate
8. Monitor DevOps Lifecycle Figure 5: Continuous DevOps lifecycle.

3. Relationship Between Cloud and DevOps
Cloud computing and DevOps complement each other. The cloud provides flexible infrastructure, while DevOps provides the practices to use that infrastructure efficiently.

How Cloud Enables DevOps

• Quick provisioning of environments
• Easy automation using APIs
• Scalable CI/CD pipelines
• Global availability

How DevOps Enhances Cloud Usage

• Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)
• Monitoring and logging
• Cost optimization through automation Cloud and DevOps Relationship Figure 6: How cloud computing and DevOps work together.

4. Common Tools Used in Cloud and DevOps
Cloud Platforms

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

DevOps Tools

• Version Control: Git, GitHub, GitLab
• CI/CD: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI
• Configuration Management: Ansible, Chef, Puppet
• Containers: Docker
• Orchestration: Kubernetes
• Monitoring: Prometheus, Grafana

DevOps Toolchain Figure 6: Typical DevOps toolchain.

5. Benefits of Cloud and DevOps Adoption

• Faster software delivery
• Improved system reliability
• Better scalability and performance
• Reduced operational costs
• Enhanced security and compliance

6. Conclusion
Cloud computing and DevOps have transformed the way modern applications are built, deployed, and managed. Cloud provides the necessary infrastructure and scalability, while DevOps introduces automation, collaboration, and continuous delivery. Together, they enable organizations to innovate faster and respond efficiently to changing business needs.
As organizations continue their digital transformation journey, understanding and adopting cloud and DevOps concepts has become essential for IT professionals and businesses alike.