Cloud Native Pyramid — Five Slices with Callouts Five-layer pyramid with spaced callouts on both sides for Application, Platform, Kubernetes, Operating System, and Infrastructure. Infrastructure Operating System Kubernetes Platform App Application Business capabilities Microservices and APIs UI and workflows Telemetry and tracing Platform Service mesh Ingress and routing Secrets and policies Observability tools Kubernetes Control plane Scheduling and autoscaling CNI and CSI Operators and CRDs Operating System Linux kernel and services Container runtime and CRI Process and resource limits Package and update strategy Infrastructure Compute and network Block and object storage Facilities and cloud services Resilience and capacity

🌐 Cloud Native Pyramid Explained

This guide breaks down the five layers of a modern cloud-native infrastructure into simple, relatable terms. Each layer builds on the one below it, forming a pyramid that supports digital services.

🟢 Application

This is what people actually use—apps, websites, and digital services.
It’s where the business value lives: booking a ticket, checking your bank balance, or streaming a movie.
Think of it as the visible tip of the pyramid that delivers the experience to users.

Key Benefits:

  • Direct user interaction
  • Business logic and workflows
  • Personalized experiences
  • Fast iteration and updates

🧱 Platform

The platform provides shared capabilities that make building and running apps easier.
It includes things like service discovery, security, and traffic routing, so developers don’t reinvent the wheel.
Think of it as the foundation for speed and consistency in app development.

Key Benefits:

  • Reusable components
  • Centralized security and policies
  • Simplified deployment
  • Developer productivity

🚦 Kubernetes

Kubernetes is the orchestrator—it decides where and how apps run across many computers.
It ensures apps stay healthy, scale up when busy, and recover if something fails.
Think of it as the traffic controller for your cloud environment.

Key Benefits:

  • Automated scaling and healing
  • Efficient resource usage
  • Declarative configuration
  • High availability

⚙️ Operating System

This is the software layer that talks to the hardware.
It runs containers, manages resources like CPU and memory, and keeps things secure.
Think of it as the bridge between machines and everything above.

Key Benefits:

  • Container runtime support
  • Resource isolation
  • Security enforcement
  • System-level services

🏗️ Infrastructure (Base Layer)

The physical and virtual machines, networks, and storage that everything else depends on.
It’s the invisible backbone—data centers, cloud servers, and connectivity.
Think of it as the ground floor that holds up the entire pyramid.

Key Benefits:

  • Scalable compute and storage
  • Reliable networking
  • Physical security and redundancy
  • Cloud service integration