A resource management framework is provided for edge-cloud systems that supports heterogeneity of devices and application requirements. One method comprises obtaining an application request in a multi-tier environment comprising cloud resources and edge nodes, wherein the edge nodes host virtual nodes to process the application requests, wherein each of the plurality of virtual nodes corresponds to a given predefined virtual node type; providing data from a given data source to at least two virtual nodes based on a data type of the given data source and the virtual node type of the at least two virtual nodes; and providing a given application request to at least one virtual node based on a data type of the given application request and the virtual node type of the at least one virtual node, wherein the at least one virtual node provides data in response to the application requests to corresponding applications and/or additional virtual nodes.