When designing cloud-native applications and following the Twelve-Factor App methodology "Config" factor, we should separate config from code to ensure portability, scalability, and security.
Common configuration variables include:
- Database connection strings or URLs (DATABASE_URL)
- API keys and external service credentials (API_KEY)
- hostnames, ports, and environment labels (SERVICE_URL, PORT, ENVIRONMENT)
- Caching or message broker endpoints (CACHE_HOST, CACHE_PORT)
- Debugging or logging levels (LOG_LEVEL, DEBUG_MODE)
Application configuration services are especially useful when automating a CI/CD pipeline to build and deploy cloud-native applications, allowing us to retrieve configuration from a central repository for different environments as part of an SDLC process, and to revert configuration in case problems are identified.
In this blog post, I will compare some of the most common features of managed configuration services, offered by the hyper-scale cloud providers, and a cloud-agnostic solution.
Feature comparison
Security-related feature comparison
Summary
Application configuration services are essential for modern cloud-native applications because they centralize and separate configuration from code, supporting scalability, security, and portability. They enable automated, environment-specific configuration management that integrates seamlessly with cloud services, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code tools, ensuring safe deployments with features like versioning and rollback.
In this blog post, I have compared application configuration services (both vendor agnostic and non-vendor agnostic), in various aspects – from supported capabilities (such as versioning, service integration, feature flag support, to IAM, encryption, etc.)
I encourage the readers to select an application configuration service and integrate it as part of a CI/CD pipeline, and separate config from code.
Disclaimer: AI tools were used to research and edit this article. Graphics are created using AI.
References
- What is AWS AppConfig?
- What is Azure App Configuration?
- Google Parameter Manager overview
- HashiCorp Consul Documentation
About the author
Eyal Estrin is a seasoned cloud and information security architect, AWS Community Builder, and author of Cloud Security Handbook and Security for Cloud Native Applications. With over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, he brings deep expertise to his work.
Connect with Eyal on social media: https://linktr.ee/eyalestrin.
The opinions expressed here are his own and do not reflect those of his employer.
Top comments (7)
Separating config from code in cloud native apps mirrors how celebrities manage public image and private life. Just as stars keep personal matters separate for security and flexibility jana pareigis kinder, apps gain scalability, portability, and safer deployments when configuration stays independent from core code.
Great insights on cloud-native application configuration services! Separating config from code is crucial for scalability and security, much like how curve rush 2 emphasizes strategy and adaptability to succeed. Just as players must manage resources wisely, developers should leverage these configuration services to streamline their CI/CD processes.
Great comparison of cloud-native configuration services
If we look at it from a gaming or mobile app perspective—like GTA San Andreas Definitive Edition APK—the same concept applies. Game settings, graphics options, server endpoints, mod configurations, and feature flags should be managed separately from the core game code. Using centralized configuration (similar to AWS, Azure, or GCP config services) allows developers to update gameplay settings, fix issues, or enable new features without rebuilding the entire APK, making updates faster, safer, and more scalable.
All three hyperscalers solve the Twelve-Factor “Config” problem well but with different trade-offs. AWS AppConfig and Parameter Store are tightly integrated with IAM and deployment tooling, Azure App Configuration excels at feature flags and .NET integration, and GCP Runtime Config is simpler but more limited link. Cloud-agnostic tools (like Consul or Vault) win on portability, but add operational overhead compared to managed cloud-native services.
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That's great, I really appreciate this deep dive—best comparison between AWS App Coding and Azure App Configuration.
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