Application Platforms

implementing the foundation services on which all applications depend. These include basic storage, such as a file system, and the fundamentals required to run code, such as scheduling.

which let applications store and process data. The most important technology in this category today is a database management system (DBMS), but other data services are becoming increasingly important. Streamed data, such as data used for complex event processing or real-time voice, can be useful in many scenarios. The rise of big data, i.e., very large amounts of unstructured information, also requires technologies that go beyond traditional relational database systems.

Not every application uses all of these components, but a broadly targeted application platform offers all five. More than this, it needs to provide these components across different kinds of hardware. Figure 6 shows how this looks, giving a general picture of a modern application platform

providing libraries and more for running software. This large category includes support for creating user interfaces on clients, communicating with other software, structuring how code executes (e.g., with workflows), and many other things.

offering remotely provided functionality that applications can use. Example cloud services today provide information, such as maps, or let applications do things such as search the Internet or connect with other applications.

helping development teams create and maintain applications. These tools range from simple code editors to full-featured tool families with support for writing code, testing, deployment, and other aspects of the development process.