The revolution of IoT and its capabilities to serve various fields led to generating a large amount of data for processing. Tasks that require an instant response, especially with sensitive delay tasks send to the fog node due to the close distance, and the complex tasks transfer to the cloud data center for its huge computation and storage. However, sending tasks to the fog decreases the transmission delay. Still, it increases the energy consumption of the end users, while transferring tasks to the cloud reduces users’ energy consumption but increases the transmission delay due to the long distance; besides, assigning tasks to appropriate resources compatible with task requirements. These are the main challenges in cloud-fog computing that need to improve. Thus, this study proposed a Multi-Objectives Grey Wolf Optimizer (MGWO) algorithm to reduce the QoS objectives delay and energy consumption and held in the fog broker, which plays an essential role in distributing tasks. The simulation result verifies the effectiveness of the MGWO algorithm compared to the state-of-the-art algorithms in reducing delay and Energy consumption.

The Internet of Things (IoT) generates massive data from smart devices that demand responses from cloud servers. However, sending tasks to the cloud reduces the power consumed by the users’ devices, but increases the transmission delay of the tasks. In contrast, sending tasks to the fog server reduces the transmission delay due to the shorter distance between the user and the server. However, this occurs at the user end’s expense of higher energy consumption. Thus, this study proposes a mathematical framework for workload allocation to model the power consumption and delay functions for both fog and clouds. After that, a Modified Least Laxity First (MLLF) algorithm was proposed to reduce the maximum delay threshold. Furthermore, a new multi-objective approach, namely the Non-dominated Particle Swarm Optimization (NPSO), is proposed to reduce energy consumption and delay compared to the state-of-the-art algorithms. The simulation results show that NPSO outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithm in reducing energy consumption, while NGSA-II proves its effectiveness in reducing transmission delay compared to the other algorithms in the experimental simulation. In addition, the MLLF algorithm reduces the maximum delay threshold by approximately 11% compared with other related algorithms. Moreover, the results prove that metaheuristics are more appropriate for distributed computing.

This study proposes a two-stage strategy to ensure the successful execution of critical tasks. In the first stage, an Enhanced Task Offloading (ETO) algorithm is introduced to determine the appropriate computing layer—edge, fog, or cloud—for offloading incomplete tasks. The algorithm makes this decision by assessing the availability of idle computing resources relative to the task’s computational requirements. Additionally, it verifies the status of the server (on/off) before offloading; if the server is unavailable, the algorithm proceeds to check the next layer. In the second stage, the strategy employs a Multi-objective Firefly (MFA) algorithm to assign the optimal computational device within the selected layer. Experimental simulations compare the proposed strategy with a benchmark task offloading algorithm. The results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed strategy, achieving reductions in energy consumption and delay and maximizing resource utilization compared to the baseline algorithms.