A Comprehensive Survey on Resource Allocation Strategies in Fog/Cloud Environments

Abstract

The growing number of connected objects has allowed the development of new applications in different areas. In addition, the technologies that support these applications, such as cloud and fog computing, face challenges in providing the necessary resources to process information for different applications due to the highly dynamic nature of these networks and the many heterogeneous devices involved. This article reviews the existing literature on one of these challenges: resource allocation in the fog–cloud continuum, including approaches that consider different strategies and network characteristics. We also discuss the factors influencing resource allocation decisions, such as energy consumption, latency, monetary cost, or network usage. Finally, we identify the open research challenges and highlight potential future directions. This survey article aims to serve as a valuable reference for researchers and practitioners interested in the field of edge computing and resource allocation.