2022’s Must-Read Cloud Computing Blog Posts: The Top 5

Welcome to ClearScale’s annual roundup of the top cloud computing posts of the year! 2022 was another exciting year in the world of cloud computing, with new developments, innovations, and trends emerging every day. From the rise of edge computing to the continued dominance of the big players (mainly AWS), there was no shortage of topics to cover in the world of the cloud.

Without further ado, let’s dive into our countdown of ClearScale’s top 5 cloud computing blog posts from 2022 according to our web traffic data. These pieces represent the best of the best in terms of insights, analysis, and thought-provoking perspectives on the cloud computing landscape. So, grab a cup of coffee (or your preferred beverage), and let’s dive in! And, as always, thank you for reading.

5. AWS Step Functions vs AWS Lambda

It is undeniable that AWS offers a wide range of services for developers. However, the issue is that some of these services have overlapping capabilities and serve the same purposes, making it challenging to determine the best option to use. A prime example of this is the choice between AWS Step Functions and AWS Lambda.

When should you use one or the other? Are there advantages and disadvantages of using one service over the other? The answers aren’t clear-cut, even though the two services really are very different. We explore both services here through the lens of a ClearScale expert on AWS application development services.

4. 10 Best Practices for Cloud-native Application Development

Cloud-native applications are designed specifically to operate in a public cloud environment, such as the AWS cloud. There is no set methodology for creating these applications, as the development strategy is primarily determined by the specific business objective and the technology utilized.

However, there are some techniques and approaches that we’ve employed at ClearScale that have generated results superior to those achieved by other means. So, in this post, we list 10 of these best practices, including a few derived from AWS’ seven best practices for modern application development.

3. Top 3 Benefits of Using AWS Step Functions

Another AWS Step Functions post appears in our top 5. Are you sending a trend? This time we take a look at how there are a lot of organizations using AWS that initially used AWS Lambda to automate workflows around running and scaling code. While this service does save time for developers, many companies experienced challenges using AWS Lambda with more complex applications.

To resolve these challenges, Amazon introduced AWS Step Functions. By using this solution, businesses can enhance the resilience of their applications, make use of other robust AWS services, write more efficient code, and much more. In this post, we take a closer look at those AWS Lambda challenges and discuss how AWS Step Functions addresses them.

2. 8 Reasons to Migrate to the Cloud in 2022

It’s common knowledge that business and IT leaders are moving away from traditional on-premise systems and opting for more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective cloud computing. The benefits of migrating to the cloud range from lower IT costs to faster innovation. However, making the transition can be challenging without a well-crafted plan and cloud expertise.

In our second most popular blog post of 2022, we highlight the eight biggest reasons why organizations migrate to a cloud platform. We also discuss how to approach any cloud migration services project so that you can maximize your investment and avoid problems along the way.

1. Using the 12-Factor Approach for Microservices

It was no surprise to us that application modernization was a hot topic in 2022. That’s evidenced by our top blog post for the year. A lot has been written about the advantages of microservices architecture over the monolith approach to app development, and the case for employing microservices is strong. The issue is: how do you pull it off?

One method that we’ve found beneficial at ClearScale is the use of the 12-Factor App methodology. It was created by developers at Heroku who observed that successful apps share common principles. Our most-read post of the year provides an overview of using this 12-factor application methodology with information specific to microservices.

Thank you for reading and keep following the ClearScale blog (there’s a handy subscription link right below this blog post). We’ll continue publishing new content about how the cloud can help your organization meet its most ambitious goals in 2023. Happy new year!