Home / Services / S/05 Cloud-Native Application Development

Cloud-native application development
built for production.

We design, build, modernise and run secure, scalable applications on AWS. Product engineering, infrastructure, monitoring, recovery and cost control stay part of the same delivery plan.

Discuss what changed What we build

Capabilities

What we build.

01 — 04

Secure cloud-native application development

We build web, mobile, operational and data applications in your AWS environment. Services, interfaces and support are designed with the product.

Serverless and managed containers

We choose the simplest compute model that fits the demand, runtime, portability, recovery needs, cost and skills already in the team.

Migration and modernisation

We rehost, replatform or refactor one defined workload. Representative tests, data checks, cutover and rollback are part of the plan.

Platform engineering and support

We version the infrastructure, automate releases and set up monitoring, recovery, budgets and runbooks so the application can be supported after launch.

AWSInfrastructure as codeContainersServerlessObservabilityClient-owned account

How we work

Built to run, recover and hand over.

A/01

Understand the workload first

We choose services after we understand the outcome, demand, data, likely failures and who will own the workload.

A/02

Test recovery before it is needed

We test dependency failures, restore and rollback against the downtime and data loss the business can accept.

A/03

Keep control of the essentials

Your team controls the AWS accounts, code, infrastructure definitions and data. We document support and exit responsibilities.

Choose the workload before the services

Is your workload ready for cloud-native delivery?

Score one application or migration slice. A strong score comes from evidence about the outcome, demand, data, likely failures and who will support it. Certifications and a preference for serverless do not make a workload ready.

Score one workload from 0 to 3

Each slider starts at 1 because the assumption is unproven. Score one application or migration slice, not your organisation’s general appetite for cloud.

Is the workload and outcome clear? 1 / 30: A general instruction to move or build in the cloud3: Users, journey, owner and measurable outcome are namedIs the demand profile understood? 1 / 30: Volume, peaks, latency and growth are guesses3: Traffic, background jobs and performance needs are based on evidenceAre the data and security needs clear? 1 / 30: Classification, residency and access are assumed3: Data path, purpose, controls and main threats are agreedDo you know what failure the business can accept? 1 / 30: The only requirement is high availability3: Downtime, recovery and data loss limits are measurableAre integrations and record owners mapped? 1 / 30: Consumers and source systems are found during delivery3: Interfaces, record owners and failure behaviour are mappedCan environments be reproduced? 1 / 30: Production is configured manually3: Infrastructure, configuration and release are versionedCould your team support the workload? 1 / 30: Logs exist, but nobody owns the response3: Metrics, alerts, runbooks and support owners are definedCan you connect cloud cost to usage and value? 1 / 30: Only the monthly budget limit is known3: Cost drivers, tags, budgets and unit measures have owners

Cloud workload readiness8 / 24

Define the workload before choosing a platform

A platform choice would still rely on guesses about demand, data, failure or ownership. Start with one user journey, evidence of real demand, its data path and the business cost of interruption.

Send the result and your optional context to ORBN for a personal response.

Use this score to guide an early discussion. It is not an architecture, security, privacy or resilience assessment. One serious constraint can outweigh the total.

Applications shaped around the operation

Use cloud-native architecture where the workload needs it.

The product comes first. ORBN designs the workflow, integrations and AWS environment as one service. We use managed capabilities when they reduce risk or make the application easier to run.

APP / 01

Cloud-native procurement software

Requisitions, approvals, catalogues, orders, receipts and exceptions connected to finance and the system that owns each supplier record.

APP / 02

Operational booking software

Keep availability, eligibility, capacity, payments and fulfilment in step so the same person, place, vehicle or service window cannot be sold twice.

APP / 03

Ecommerce platform modernisation

Connect the customer journey to pricing, ERP, warehouse and payment systems through a phased change that can be reversed.

Serverless, containers or something simpler?

Choose the architecture around the workload.

A well-structured application using managed services can be easier to run than a network of microservices. How the software runs, demand, recovery, security, team skills and likely change should guide the choice.

SERVERLESS

Events and variable demand

Fits short-lived APIs, scheduled work and background processing when the team understands execution limits, concurrency and retries.

CONTAINERS

Portable application runtimes

Fits web services, workers and existing runtimes that need consistent packaging without the burden of managing a cluster.

KUBERNETES

A justified platform requirement

Fits workloads where several teams need Kubernetes APIs and its ecosystem. It is not the default for one ordinary application.

Compare serverless, containers and Kubernetes on AWS

Cloud-native application delivery

Take one workload from decision to production.

RELEASE / 01

Name the workload and outcome

Choose the user journey, owner, current baseline, integrations and the business cost of delay or failure. Write down what the first production release will leave out.

Map demand, data and threats

Use realistic volume, latency and retention. Classify the data, map identity and dependencies, then choose the failure you most need to understand.

Prove the lightest viable architecture

Compare managed services, serverless, containers and existing components against team skills, recovery, security, portability and total cost.

Release and operate one vertical slice

Build the user path, data flow and infrastructure together. Before adding scope, test load, a failed dependency, restore, rollback, alerts and support ownership.

Your AWS account, code and operating evidence

Keep control without taking on every support task.

ORBN deploys into infrastructure you control. We can support the application after launch or transfer it to another team. Access, documentation and regular recovery tests make that control real.

OWN / 01

Accounts, source and data

Your team controls the AWS organisation, repositories, identities, billing, infrastructure definitions, core records and export paths.

OWN / 02

Release, security and recovery

We version each change, restrict access and document how to audit, patch, restore and roll back the service.

OWN / 03

Operation, handover and exit

Budgets, dashboards, useful alerts, runbooks, support authority and documentation make it practical to hand the service to another team.

Delivery, consumption and continuing operation

See the full cost of the cloud application.

Cloud billing adjusts with use, but it is not automatically cheap or predictable. Separate product delivery, AWS usage and ongoing support, then show the volume, environments, recovery and service assumptions behind each estimate.

DISCOVER

Outcome and hardest assumption

Define the product, demand, data and main threats. Compare architecture options by testing the condition most likely to change the plan.

BUILD

Application and production capability

Build one complete production release, including the user experience, rules, APIs, infrastructure, monitoring, testing, migration and recovery.

RUN

AWS usage and accountable support

Budget for compute, databases, storage, data transfer and logs alongside incidents, security updates, backups, user support and product changes.

Estimate your first release Read the AWS cost guide

Production software, not cloud theatre

The infrastructure matters because the operation depends on it.

WORK / 01

CROWLITE / FOODSERVICE OPERATIONS

200+ daily orders turned into routes in under 20 minutes.

Crowlite connects order intake, route planning, warehouse work, mobile picking and operational reporting. Route planning fell from as much as eight hours to less than 20 minutes, with more than £36,000 in reported annual savings.

Read the case study Discuss a similar challenge

Crowlite cloud application for foodservice operations

Crowlite mobile warehouse picking workflow

Results reported for this engagement. Outcomes vary with the application, operation and starting point.

Frequently asked questions

Cloud-native application development FAQ.

Q/01

What is a cloud-native application?

Cloud-native applications use cloud services as part of how they are built and run, rather than treating the cloud as rented server space. This can include managed compute and databases, automated infrastructure, capacity that adjusts to demand, monitoring and tested recovery. You do not need microservices or Kubernetes to get those benefits.

Q/02

What does a cloud-native application development company do?

A cloud-native development company designs the product and its cloud environment together. The work can include discovery, web and API development, identity, infrastructure as code, data services, automated releases, monitoring, recovery, cost controls and support.

Q/03

Do cloud-native applications have to use microservices?

No. One well-structured application using managed services can be easier and cheaper to run than a network of small services. Split a component out when it needs its own owner, release schedule, scaling or failure boundary. Microservices are a design choice, not a maturity badge.

Q/04

Can ORBN migrate an existing application to AWS?

Yes, when AWS is a good fit. ORBN can assess the workload, test the target platform, move data and interfaces, manage a controlled cutover and set up the new operating controls. The work may involve rehosting, replatforming, selective refactoring or phased replacement.

Q/05

How much does cloud-native application development cost in the UK?

Cost depends on the product scope, integrations, data, testing, environments, availability, migration and support. AWS usage is separate and depends on compute, storage, databases, data transfer, logs and support commitments. A useful proposal separates delivery from ongoing cloud and support costs, then shows the assumptions behind each.

Q/06

Can ORBN modernise an ecommerce platform with cloud-native architecture?

Yes. ORBN can assess the storefront, customer accounts, catalogue, pricing, payments, orders and fulfilment. We then retain, replatform or refactor the parts that limit reliability or make change difficult. The modernised platform can connect to ERP, WMS and other core systems through monitored interfaces.

Go deeper or follow the workload

R/01

One workload.
A clear route to production.

Bring the business change or operational risk the application must support. We will identify its constraints and prove the riskiest part on AWS.

Talk through the situation hello@orbn.co.uk