01Definition
Application modernization, defined
An application is modernized when its platform, its code and its delivery process are current enough that you can change it without fear. The word that matters is change. A modern application is not one that uses the newest tool. It is one a team can fix, extend and secure at a normal pace.
This page defines the term. If you are looking for help doing the work, see application modernization services.
02Scope
What does modernization actually change?
The platform
Runtime, application server, operating system and hosting. For example, moving off a proprietary server to a standard container.
The code
Framework versions, deprecated APIs, structure and tests. This is where most of the effort lies.
The delivery
Build, test and release automation, so changes ship the same way every time.
03Common confusion
Modernization vs migration: what is the difference?
A migration can be a modernization, but it is not one by default. Moving an unchanged application to the cloud is a migration. See the rehost, replatform, refactor and rewrite guide for the options between the two.
| Migration | Modernization | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Move to a new place | Make the application easier and safer to change |
| Code | Left as is, or minimal edits | Changed on purpose |
| Result | Same application, new host | Application that is current and testable |
| Overlap | Often a first step | Often includes a migration |
04Signals
How do you know an application needs it?
- The runtime or framework no longer gets security fixes.
- Releases are rare because each one is risky.
- Few people understand the code, and there are no tests to protect them.
- A license or vendor contract drives cost with no matching value.
- The application cannot run in a container or on a standard server.
05Benefits
What are the benefits of application modernization?
Benefits depend on what you change, so count them per application rather than assuming all of them.
- Security: supported runtimes and libraries receive fixes.
- Cost: fewer licensed components, and infrastructure you can size properly.
- Speed of change: tests and current frameworks make small releases safe.
- Hiring and retention: engineers work on tools they know.
- Options: a standard platform leaves room to move again later.
06How it is done
What does the work look like?
- 01
Inventory
List the applications, their versions, dependencies and owners.
- 02
Decide per application
Retire, retain, move, restructure or replace each one.
- 03
Protect behavior
Write tests that record what the application does today.
- 04
Change in small steps
Upgrade, restructure and migrate in slices, each one reviewable and reversible.
- 05
Run and improve
Monitor the result and keep the estate current.
07How Ace8 helps
Where to go next
Ace8 is the AI-assisted application modernization practice of AceMQ.
To find out which of your applications need which kind of change, start with the modernization assessment. For the services page that covers how we deliver the work, see application modernization services.