Every so often in the tech industry, we are faced with the decision to transform and innovate for progress or struggle with redundancy and stagnation. As tech enthusiast we chose the former, embarking on a remarkable journey from a monolithic application to a dynamic, microservices-based architecture.
Our legacy system, while reliable, began revealing cracks in its armor – scalability constraints, single-point failures, and rigidity – hallmarks of a typical monolithic monster. Realizing that the time had come for a radical change, we decided to go ahead with microservices architecture.
We chose the Strangler design pattern & roadmap was prepared for phase-wise transformation. We would gradually build a new system around the existing one, replacing components piece by piece by their ciriticality, ensuring the sustenance of application throughout the process.
To ensure a smooth shift, we introduced – Feature Flags. These acted as an bridge between our old and new application, readily allowing the traffic to switch over to the newly built sections and just as readily retracting back if any unforeseen circumstances emerged.
As we progressed, each piece of the new architecture efficiently turned ‘ON.’ Every minor issue we faced, and there were quite a few, was instantaneously turned ‘OFF’, allowing us to retrace, rectify and move forward. Little by little, the mammoth monolith faded away, replaced by a vibrant, versatile microservices.
This journey showcased how the Strangler Pattern and Feature Flags could transform a legacy monolith into a modern microservices. During this transformation journey, not only ‘keep the lights on’ during this massive shift, but we ended up illuminating our path to a more agile, adaptable, and accessible future.
I am eager to hear your thoughts and experiences with such transformations. Have you dealt with a similar challenge? How did you plan your transition?
Let’s exchange thoughts of tech transformations!!