Neutral API for Cloud Provider Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cloud computing systems require tailored applications for each provider, making it difficult for consumers to switch providers and update applications due to varying communication protocols and formatting requirements, leading to vendor lock-in and increased maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A neutral application programming interface (API) and driver framework that abstracts vendor-specific requirements, enabling communication between client systems and multiple cloud systems through a standardized syntax, allowing requests and responses to be translated between different cloud platforms, thereby insulating clients from proprietary protocols and formats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If consumer applications are tailored to each specific cloud system provider's requirements, then the applications can interact with each cloud system, but the consumer will be less likely to switch cloud system providers and will require application updates when providers change formats or protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud interface system as an intermediary layer between consumer applications and cloud computing systems. This intermediary provides a standardized interface that translates between application requests and provider-specific protocols, enabling applications to interact with multiple cloud providers without being tailored to each one while maintaining ease of switching providers.
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud interface system is designed to work with multiple cloud computing system providers simultaneously through a universal interface. It provides multi-functional capabilities by supporting different communication protocols and formats from various providers through a single standardized access point, eliminating the need for separate tailored applications for each provider.
2Adaptability or versatility
If cloud systems use various communication protocols and formatting requirements, then each cloud system can have its own specific requirements, but consumer applications require updates when cloud systems update their protocols or formats
Solution Approach 1:
The cloud interface system acts as a mediator that absorbs the complexity of multiple communication protocols and formatting requirements. It maintains a standardized interface for applications while handling protocol translation and format conversion to different cloud providers, thereby isolating applications from protocol changes and reducing maintenance complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the complexity by separating the interface layer from the protocol layer. The cloud interface system handles protocol-specific implementations as separate, modular components that can be updated independently without affecting the core application logic, thus reducing overall system complexity and maintenance burden.
3Ease of manufacture
If applications are customized for each cloud provider, then applications can access cloud services, but consumers face vendor lock-in and increased maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The cloud interface system provides a universal access point that enables applications to deploy once and access multiple cloud providers through a standardized interface. This multi-functional approach allows the same application to work across different providers without customization, maintaining ease of deployment while providing provider switching flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
By introducing the cloud interface system as an intermediary, the patent enables applications to maintain simple, standardized code while the intermediary handles provider-specific adaptations. This resolves the contradiction by allowing easy application deployment without vendor lock-in, as the intermediary manages the complexity of provider-specific requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for providing an application programming interface for accessing multiple disparate cloud computing systems is described. In one embodiment, the method includes defining a neutral format for cloud computing system requests and responses. The method may also include providing an application programming interface that exposes the neutral format to a client computer system to enable communication between the client computer system and a plurality of different cloud computing systems via the server computer system.