Cloud Native vs. Cloud Agnostic Architecture: What’s the Difference?

In today’s digital landscape, businesses increasingly use cloud architecture to drive innovation, scalability, and efficiency. The global market for cloud services is estimated to reach $723.4 billion in 2025, up from $595.7 billion in 2024. The rise of these technologies motivates various companies to adopt the cloud approach.

Among the most discussed cloud strategies are cloud-native and cloud-agnostic designs. Both approaches involve various methods of designing and administering cloud applications with clear benefits and drawbacks for each option.

A cloud-native approach is designed to utilize specific, selected cloud environments meticulously. It provides a streamlined business process, shorter service delivery periods, and scaling through automation.

The strength of the cloud agnostic approach lies in its ability to execute flexible business processes. Applications can run in different cloud platforms independently of a single cloud service.

This article will explore the advantages and disadvantages of both cloud approaches and their features. Additionally, we’ll share insights from our team and the real-life cases.

What is Cloud Native Approach?

Cloud-native design pertains to a method of application development and management that fully leverages the potential of cloud computing. In contrast to conventional approaches, cloud-native applications are created specifically for the cloud platforms, enabling companies to leverage:

• Scalability. Smoothly increase or decrease resources when necessary.
• Automation. Simplified procedures for deployment and oversight.
• Elasticity. Flexible response to traffic needs.
• High availability. Guarantee access and operational time, even in failures.
• Ease of management. Streamlined processes with tools tailored for the cloud.

Cloud-native applications are enhanced for adaptability and efficiency within the cloud setting by utilizing cloud platforms like AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure.

Characteristics of Cloud-Native Architecture

Cloud-native approach is characterized by multiple essential traits that enhance applications’ scalability, efficiency, and adaptability. These include:

#1. Microservices

Microservices architecture breaks down applications into minor, independent services concentrating on particular functions.

What do you get?

• Autonomous development. Teams can create, test, and launch each microservice independently.
• Scalability. Effortlessly adjust separate elements according to demand.
• Maintainability. Eases management as every service operates independently. 

Cloud-native applications are not single units; they comprise interconnected services communicating via APIs.

#2. Containers and Kubernetes

Containers can package each microservice with its dependencies, ensuring it works consistently across various environments.

Kubernetes is an open-source platform for automating container deployment, scaling, and management.

What do you get?

• Portability. Kubernetes allows cloud-native applications to operate smoothly across various cloud environments.
• Efficiency. Automates the scaling, deployment, and administration of containerized applications.

Containers and Kubernetes provide the flexibility to move applications between cloud environments while ensuring operational efficiency.

#3. Continuous Delivery & DevOps

Continuous Delivery (CD) streamlines the release process of software updates and new features, shortening time-to-market. DevOps unites development and operations teams to enhance cooperation and automation.

What do you get?

• Rapid iteration. Enables companies to implement updates quickly and react to market demands more efficiently.
• Automation. Enables regular, dependable software updates without requiring manual action.

By implementing DevOps and Continuous Deployment, cloud-native design guarantees that applications stay current, dependable, and responsive to evolving business needs.

#4. Dynamic Scaling & High Availability

Dynamic Scaling automatically adjusts resources based on real-time needs, ensuring optimal performance even during usage surges.

High Availability integrates redundancy to guarantee that applications remain accessible, even if part of the system experiences failure.

What do you get?

• Peak performance. Dynamic scaling ensures that applications can handle fluctuating demand without compromising performance.
• Reliability. High availability minimizes downtime, keeping systems online and improving the overall user experience.

By incorporating dynamic scaling and high availability, cloud-native architecture ensures applications remain responsive, dependable, and prepared for both expected and unexpected traffic spikes.

Cloud-native applications are built to offer the adaptability to scale on their own and stay functional under varying load scenarios, making them ideal for essential operational settings.

​​Pros and Cons of Cloud-Native Development

Below you can find a table with benefits and drawbacks of cloud-native approach.

Like other domains, cloud-native design features vendors that promote simplicity and scalability to enhance reliability. However, overseeing all these services and tools introduces its distinct complexity. Understanding your position concerning adaptability will aid your organization in avoiding unnecessary expenses.

What is Cloud-Agnostic Approach?

The cloud agnostic design focuses on the flexibility and ease of moving an application and its data, letting it work effectively no matter what cloud system they are attached to.

Companies can become more flexible in maintaining their cloud infrastructure without deeply integrating proprietary tools or services offered by certain cloud providers.

Characteristics of Cloud-Agnostic Architecture

Cloud agnostic applications have specific characteristics that guarantee their portability and independence from any cloud platform provider, making their lives easier.

#1. Platform Independence

Cloud agnostic applications are created to utilize every possible provider’s solution, from third-party cloud services to company self-hosting software. They do not rely on a specific provider’s environment.

Benefit. Businesses do not have to rely on a single vendor’s ecosystem. This allows them to change service providers or shift between public, private, or hybrid clouds depending on expenditure, performance, and strategic requirements.

#2. Using Open Standards and APIs

Cloud agnostic systems usually use open-source software, open standards, and APIs that ensure reliability beyond a particular service provider.

Benefit. Using REST APIs or implementing containerization (like creating a Docker) guarantees interaction from all possible clouds. Open standards provide less risk of being restricted by a platform vendor, which allows greater flexibility when it comes to platform selection.

#3. Ability to Operate in Different Environments

One of the more important aspects of cloud agnostic design is the ability to integrate. This enables cloud agnostic apps to function within several other cloud platforms, such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.

Benefit. Organizations can optimize workloads with interoperability across providers, enabling best-in-class services from different ones. For example, they can run a data-heavy application on AWS and advanced machine learning tools on Google Cloud platform without worrying about configurational conflicts or reworks.

Pros and Cons of Cloud-Agnostic Strategy

Here’s a table that outlines the pros and cons of a cloud-agnostic approach:

The cloud-agnostic design gives businesses more flexibility, avoiding vendor lock-in and allowing them to use hybrid or multi-cloud strategies. However, this can create complications in management, limit the use of specific cloud features, and reduce performance. Organizations need to evaluate their particular requirements and goals in the long term to decide if a cloud-agnostic approach meets their cloud strategy.

Insights from the Team: Flexibility of Migration

We are committed to sharing our internal expertise, backed by years of proven experience. In this instance, we are excited to showcase valuable insights from one of our DevOps engineers.

Cloud Native vs. Cloud Agnostic: Full Comparison

When deciding between cloud-native and cloud-agnostic designs, it’s essential to understand the key differences between the two approaches. Each has its own set of advantages and trade-offs, and the choice largely depends on your organization’s goals, existing infrastructure, and future scalability requirements.

Below is the table with key differences:

Which Option to Choose?

The table below can help you assess whether a cloud native or cloud agnostic strategy is the best fit based on specific use cases and business needs.

Hybrid Cloud Architecture: Is It a Balance Possible?

Hybrid approach blends aspects of cloud-native and cloud-agnostic designs. This method enables companies to leverage the scalability and automation of cloud-native solutions while retaining control over essential systems through cloud-agnostic principles.

When to Use Hybrid Approaches

A hybrid approach is perfect for companies that need the flexibility to select between cloud providers or must retain particular workloads on-site or within specific cloud environments.

Let’s look at the example.

Consider an e-commerce business. During peak sales times, the company needs rapid scaling to handle large traffic surges. They could use a cloud-native approach with a single provider (e.g., AWS or Azure) to scale their e-commerce platform, ensuring high performance during busy periods.

Meanwhile, for critical applications like inventory management and CRM, the company may adopt a cloud-agnostic strategy, ensuring these systems run smoothly across multiple platforms. This provides flexibility, avoiding vendor lock-in and ensuring availability across different cloud providers.

In this hybrid approach:

• Cloud-native is used for scalable workloads (e-commerce site).
• Cloud-agnostic is used for essential, cross-platform applications (inventory and CRM).

Benefits of a Hybrid Approach

• Cost Efficiency. By harmonizing the utilization of public cloud solutions with on-premises infrastructure, companies can enhance expenses according to their unique demands and resource needs.
• Risk Reduction. A hybrid approach minimizes the dangers of depending solely on one provider while ensuring security and oversight of confidential information.

Challenges of the Hybrid Approach

• Management Complexity. Handling a hybrid environment necessitates proficiency in cloud and on-site technologies and strong platform integration.
• Performance Trade-Offs. Hybrid methods might create possible network latency problems and could result in performance compromises, especially when data is transferred between cloud and local environments.

The Bottom Line

Your business requirements determine whether you should choose cloud-native or cloud-agnostic approaches. Cloud-native systems provide scalability and adaptability for users loyal to a particular cloud provider. In contrast, cloud-agnostic architectures function across various platforms, ensure more freedom, and prevent vendor lock-in.

A hybrid method merges the advantages of both, providing flexibility and cost efficiency, although it might involve increased complexity. In the end, the appropriate strategy is determined by your objectives, scalability requirements, and current infrastructure.

If you’re uncertain about your business’s ideal approach, consider seeking advice from cloud specialists to identify the option that best fits your goals.

Written by:

Kateryna Oriekhova

Market Researcher