4 Cloud-native concepts and  technology Throughout the preceding chapters we have regularly mentioned cloud-native and related  terms. Although we briefly qualify those terms as they appear, we recognize that some  readers might be relatively new to cloud-native concepts. Therefore, the beginning of this  chapter provides an overview of the core cloud-native concepts and technologies.  For readers familiar with the core concepts, the latter part of the chapter considers some of  the typical challenges, such as the definition of application boundaries, more advanced  technologies such as the service mesh, and a look into the future of the cloud-native  infrastructure.  The following topics are covered in this chapter: 85 ' Copyright IBM Corp. 2 020. All rights reserved. GLYPH<SM590000> Defining cloud-native GLYPH<SM590000> Key elements of cloud-native applications GLYPH<SM590000> Twelve-factor apps GLYPH<SM590000> Container technology: the current state of the art GLYPH<SM590000> Cloud-native is not for everyone, nor for everything GLYPH<SM590000> Application boundaries in a container-based world GLYPH<SM590000> Realizing the true benefits of containerization GLYPH<SM590000> Service mesh GLYPH<SM590000> The future of cloud-native GLYPH<SM590000> Cloud-native security – an application-centric perspective