Cloud Computing
Cloud-Agnostic
Definition
Cloud-agnostic refers to a strategy of designing applications and infrastructure to be independent of any specific cloud provider. It involves using tools and technologies that can run on any cloud platform.
Why It Matters
A cloud-agnostic approach helps to avoid vendor lock-in, increases portability, and allows an organization to adopt a multicloud strategy, using the best services from different providers.
Contextual Example
A team builds their application using open-source technologies like Docker containers and Kubernetes for orchestration. They use Terraform to define their infrastructure. This application can be deployed on AWS, Azure, or GCP with minimal changes.
Common Misunderstandings
- Being truly cloud-agnostic often means you cannot use a provider's powerful, proprietary, and highly integrated services (like AWS Lambda or Google BigQuery), which can be a significant trade-off.
- This strategy prioritizes portability over deep integration with a single platform.