Modernizing Legacy Applications with Cloud Migration
This case study details the project undertaken by JRD to migrate legacy WebLogic-based applications to a cloud-native architecture. By leveraging modern tools and practices to improve scalability, flexibility, and operational efficiency- we executed the project by achieving four key milestones, each designed to address specific challenges and requirements of the migration process.
Implementation by JRD
Milestone 1: Prerequisites for Cloud Readiness
Objective: Ensure application compatibility with Spring Boot (2.X.X) and JDK 8-based projects to make the applications cloud-ready.
Actions:
Actions:
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- Analyzed the existing WebLogic-based applications to identify dependencies and compatibility issues.
- Updated the applications to be compatible with Spring Boot (2.X.X) and JDK 8, ensuring they met the necessary prerequisites for cloud deployment.
Milestone 2: Transition to a New Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Objective: Transition the development process to a modern SDLC, removing legacy configurations and consolidating applications.
Actions:
Actions:
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- Removed legacy configurations, including Jenkins file, web.xml, webLogic.xml, and build.xml.
- Consolidated multi-structured applications into a single library or deployable application, streamlining the deployment process.
Milestone 3: Migration to Kubernetes (GCP or HCP as determined by the architects)
Objective: Migrate applications to a Kubernetes environment, ensuring secure and efficient deployment and management.
Actions:
Actions:
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- Implemented Docker and Kubernetes configurations along with GCP log configuration.
- Stored sensitive credentials securely in Vault with secrets management.
- Performed zero downtime testing to ensure seamless transitions.
- Conducted load testing in the development environment to validate performance and scalability.
Milestone 4: Upgrade to Spring Boot 3.x and JDK 21
Objective: Further modernize the applications by upgrading to the latest versions of Spring Boot and JDK.
Actions:
Actions:
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- Removed WebLogic deployables and migrated the applications to Spring Boot 3.x and JDK 21.
- Integrated Quality Gate validations using Sonar Cloud for each application, ensuring high code quality and security.
Benefits
- Increased efficiency in development and deployment: By modernizing the SDLC and leveraging cloud-native tools, JRD significantly improved the efficiency of its development and deployment processes.
- Cost savings through optimized infrastructure: Migrating to the cloud allowed JRD to optimize its infrastructure, resulting in substantial cost savings.
- Automation of tasks: Tasks such as load balancing and application health checks were automated, reducing the need for manual intervention and minimizing errors.
- Improved scalability: The applications became more scalable, allowing them to handle increased loads and traffic more effectively.
- Code quality assurance with Sonar Cloud: Integrating Sonar Cloud ensured that code quality was consistently high, reducing the likelihood of defects and vulnerabilities.
- More efficient load balancing and resource management: The use of Kubernetes improved load balancing and resource management, enhancing the overall performance and reliability of the applications.
Case Outcomes
The migration project undertaken by JRD successfully transformed legacy WebLogic-based applications into modern, cloud-native applications. This helped improve the operational efficiency and scalability of the applications and also resulted in significant cost savings and enhanced security.