A Review of Techniques and Methods for IoT Applications in Collaborative Cloud-Fog Environment

Cloud computing is widely used for its powerful and accessible computing and storage capacity. However, with the development trend of Internet of Things (IoTs), the distance between cloud and terminal devices can no longer meet the new requirements of low latency and real-time interaction of IoTs. Fog has been proposed as a complement to the cloud which moves servers to the edge of the network, making it possible to process service requests of terminal devices locally. Despite the fact that fog computing solves many obstacles for the development of IoT, there are still many problems to be solved for its immature technology. In this paper, the concepts and characteristics of cloud and fog computing are introduced, followed by the comparison and collaboration between them. We summarize main challenges IoT faces in new application requirements (e.g., low latency, network bandwidth constraints, resource constraints of devices, stability of service, and security) and analyze fog-based solutions. The remaining challenges and research directions of fog after integrating into IoT system are discussed. In addition, the key role that fog computing based on 5G may play in the field of intelligent driving and tactile robots is prospected.