{"id":724,"date":"2017-08-31T10:55:09","date_gmt":"2017-08-31T16:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.morphis-insights.com\/?p=724"},"modified":"2024-01-26T11:09:24","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T11:09:24","slug":"microservices-modernizing-legacy-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/morphis-tech.com\/blog\/microservices-modernizing-legacy-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"Microservices, Containers and the Best Option for Modernizing Your Legacy Application"},"content":{"rendered":"

Much has been written recently about the role of microservices in reducing technical debt and as an approach to modernizing legacy applications, not least in this excellent article by Gene Hughson<\/span><\/a>. My overwhelming question is how many different ways can you put lipstick on a pig?<\/span><\/p>\n

This post explains microservices (briefly), how they relate to containers, how they can be used to reduce technical debt and \u2018modernize legacy applications\u2019. Assuming the legacy application in question is not to be decommissioned then, as Edmond Lau pointed out<\/span><\/a>, the challenge is to get your application \u201cas quickly as possible to a state where you\u2019re again making incremental improvement\u201d. We explain why any wrapping technology (containers, microservices etc.) is not the best option to get you to that state, and what is.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Get Going\u2026<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Recently, we wrote on the possibilities of using containers for managing legacy applications<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

While containerization isn\u2019t a long-term solution for modernization, it\u2019s a common approach that has been around for many years. <\/span><\/p>\n

Containers do offer a range of benefits such as improvements in flexibility, speed, and portability that tend to reduce dependence on virtual machines. Containerization is one of several viable alternatives for temporarily extending the life of the legacy application, and it can be especially attractive if the app will be decommissioned soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Microservices Architecture<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Microservice architecture presents another option for modernizing many legacy applications. In this approach, applications are built with small, independent processes that communicate with one another through a set of REST APIs (or SOAP web services). Though it can be daunting with older legacy apps, decomposing a legacy app into its most elemental functions and wrapping each function with a microservice API is\u2014in essence\u2014service-oriented computing. The result is a set of services that are accessible to other parts of the app or to other applications.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are several reasons why microservices have been explored for \u2018modernizing\u2019 legacy monolithic applications:<\/span><\/p>\n