How do cloud-native applications benefit from microservices architecture?

Cloud-native applications benefit from microservices architecture primarily by promoting modular development for faster updates. This approach allows developers to break down an application into smaller, independent services that can be developed, tested, and deployed separately. Each microservice focuses on a specific business function, enabling teams to work on different components concurrently without waiting for others to complete their parts.

This modularity not only speeds up the development process but also facilitates easier maintenance and scalability. When a specific microservice needs an update, it can be modified and redeployed without affecting the entire application. This agility is a significant advantage in today’s fast-paced development environments, where rapid iterations and responsiveness to user feedback are essential.

The other options do not align with the advantages provided by a microservices architecture. Creating a single monolithic application would limit flexibility and slow down development cycles. Reducing the need for cloud infrastructure contradicts the inherent nature of cloud-native applications, which are designed to leverage cloud resources for scalability and performance. Centralizing all application functions would lead to a tightly coupled application that is harder to manage and scale compared to a microservices-based approach.