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What is a CNAPP (Cloud Native Application Protection Platform)?

What is CNAPP?

A CNAPP (Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform) is a cybersecurity solution that provides protection for cloud-native applications. In recent days and with the growing adoption of cloud, more applications are designed as cloud-native applications that run on cloud infrastructure and often have complex architectures that can be difficult to secure. A CNAPP solution detects and responds to various security threats such as vulnerabilities in containers and microservices, attacks on application programming interfaces (APIs), the underlying cloud infrastructure, and data breaches.

Overview

Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms are cybersecurity solutions that provides protection for cloud-native applications. In recent days and with the growing adoption of cloud, more applications are designed as cloud-native applications that run on cloud infrastructure and often have complex architectures that can be difficult to secure. A CNAPP solution detects and responds to various security threats such as vulnerabilities in containers and microservices, attacks on application programming interfaces (APIs), the underlying cloud infrastructure, and data breaches.

Why do you need a CNAPP?

As cloud adoption grows, cloud footprint grows and cloud-native application design grows as well. To secure cloud estates, organizations need to ensure the security of their cloud-native applications. Traditional security measures, such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems, are no longer enough to fully protect infrastructure and cloud-native applications. CNAPP solutions provide a comprehensive security and targeted approach to securing cloud-native applications by thinking from a holistic perspective that encompasses the cloud platform and unique challenges that come with cloud-native applications and larger cloud footprints.

CNAPP solutions offer benefits with monitoring cloud-native applications and infrastructure, a more targeted approach to cloud threat detection and response, compliance management including unique cloud compliance challenges, and overall security benefit of reducing risk of cyber attacks and data breaches. With cloud, there are unique challenges that a CNAPP solution solves by combining application protection with an understanding of cloud infrastructure and how cloud infrastructure is woven in application and platform design. CNAPP solutions can help with overall security best practices and compliance with relevant regulations, especially with cloud.

Open Source CNAPP

In What is an Infrastructure Data Lake, we covered what is an infrastructure data lake and how to get started with building your own. With that foundational infrastructure data lake, we can now build your own open-source CNAPP with standard SQL queries and views that you can monitor, visualize, and customize to your specific needs.

CloudQuery pulls information from various sources that contribute to a holistic view for an effective CNAPP. As your organization grows and evolves with different technologies and architectures, your infrastructure data lake can grow with you by adding various sources. Check out CloudQuery to see how to build a customizable open-source CNAPP.