From Monolithic Systems to Microservices: An Assessment Framework
This work addresses the challenge for companies in software engineering to make data-driven migration decisions, though it is incremental as it builds on existing trends and methods.
The paper tackles the problem of deciding when to migrate from monolithic systems to microservices by proposing an evidence-based decision support framework, derived from a systematic mapping study and interviews with professionals, to help companies avoid risks and make informed decisions.
Context. Re-architecting monolithic systems with Microservices-based architecture is a common trend. Various companies are migrating to Microservices for different reasons. However, making such an important decision like re-architecting an entire system must be based on real facts and not only on gut feelings. Objective. The goal of this work is to propose an evidence-based decision support framework for companies that need to migrate to Microservices, based on the analysis of a set of characteristics and metrics they should collect before re-architecting their monolithic system. Method. We designed this study with a mixed-methods approach combining a Systematic Mapping Study with a survey done in the form of interviews with professionals to derive the assessment framework based on Grounded Theory. Results. We identified a set consisting of information and metrics that companies can use to decide whether to migrate to Microservices or not. The proposed assessment framework, based on the aforementioned metrics, could be useful for companies if they need to migrate to Microservices and do not want to run the risk of failing to consider some important information.