A8. Utilize the 12-factor method for application design
The 12-Factor method2 is a widely accepted set of effective practices for software development that is particularly relevant to the context of the public cloud. It is incorporated by reference here. Per the referenced website, the practices of the 12-Factor method:
- Use declarative formats for setup automation, to minimize time and cost for new developers joining the project;
- Have a clean contract with the underlying operating system, offering maximum portability between execution environments;
- Are suitable for deployment on modern cloud platforms, obviating the need for servers and systems administration;
- Minimize divergence between development and production, enabling continuous deployment for maximum agility;
- And can scale up without significant changes to tooling, architecture, or development practices.