What is a "cloud-native application"?

A "cloud-native application" refers to software that is specifically designed to leverage the benefits of cloud computing technologies. This approach allows these applications to fully utilize cloud frameworks and features such as scalability, flexibility, and resilience.

Cloud-native applications are built with cloud environments in mind from the ground up. This means they often utilize microservices architecture, containerization, and automated orchestration. By doing so, they can easily scale up or down based on user demand, maintain high availability, and quickly respond to outages or performance issues without significant manual intervention.

The other options present ideas that do not accurately reflect the essence of cloud-native design. Applications designed only for on-premises servers do not utilize cloud environments at all. Those requiring significant customization for a cloud environment suggest a lack of inherent design for cloud use, making them less optimal in leveraging cloud capabilities. Finally, applications that run exclusively on mobile devices may be developed with mobile platforms in mind but do not necessarily align with the architectural nuances that characterize cloud-native applications.