What Does It Mean to Work in the Cloud and How Does It Differ from Backend Development?

Cloud services are essentially just enhanced versions of what backend developers have been doing for a long time. For example, instead of managing virtual machines with something like Microsoft HyperV, you might use Azure Virtual Machines. It’s really just a more user-friendly interface for existing services.

At its core, the cloud is just a remote server that runs your code, managed by someone else. While that’s a basic way to look at it, having some backend knowledge definitely helps in understanding cloud concepts better. A background in backend will make it easier to grasp how everything ties together, so I’d recommend starting there! Also, from a frontend perspective, the concepts can be quite similar.

Working with the cloud is like outsourcing the management of software to a third party. This includes both your own applications and those created by others, like managed databases. Professionals in this space typically know the offerings from various cloud providers and are skilled at deploying and optimizing those services. These days, full-stack developers often handle both frontend and backend work along with cloud deployment, so having backend skills beforehand is quite useful.

The term "cloud" can refer to various self-service products that offer infrastructure or software as a service. What's great about the cloud is that it allows for easy automation and is generally more accessible than traditional setups. If you’re focusing on infrastructure as a service, it’s important to note that while it provides the infrastructure, you still need to write code for your backend services. Many teams have dedicated roles for cloud and backend development, so knowing less about coding can be okay, but you'll definitely perform better if you understand what's happening.