Temporal Evolution of Architectural Complexity and Technical Debt in Microservices: An Exploratory Case Study
Over the last decade, software organizations have increasingly adopted microservices to effectively deal with evolving software systems, frequent demands for new features, and changing technologies. However, microservices are not a silver bullet; their success depends on the specific context and needs of each organization. Therefore, tracking the evolution of architectural complexity indicators is crucial for effective architectural governance and decision-making. In this paper, we explore the relationship between architectural complexity indicators and their evolution, specifically declared dependencies, API endpoints, inter-service communications, size, and technical debt. We used the static source code analysis methods along with SonarQube to measure architectural complexity, collecting data on all indicators over the past two and a half years. Our findings indicate that architectural complexity consistently grows, even within microservices. Most importantly, these indicators co-evolve, making the overall architecture more complicated than expected. Additionally, all complexity indicators grow rapidly when services are small and still evolving. The insights gained from this study can assist organizations in effectively managing their microservices, highlighting when they might be most prone to architectural degradation.
Tue 2 DecDisplayed time zone: Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna change
09:30 - 11:00 | Technical Debt and RefactoringShort Papers and Posters / Research Papers at Sala degli Affreschi (Fresco Room) Chair(s): Sousuke Amasaki Nanzan University | ||
09:30 15mTalk | Enhancing Python Code Maintainability through Large Language Model-Based Approaches Research Papers | ||
09:45 15mTalk | Enhancing Software Maintainability through LLM-Assisted Code Refactoring Research Papers Tommaso Fulcini Politecnico di Torino, Riccardo Coppola Politecnico di Torino, Flavio Giobergia Politecnico di Torino, Amirali Changizi Politecnico di Torino, Meelad Dashti Politecnico di Torino, Kimia Dorrani Politecnico di Torino, Domenico Amalfitano University of Naples Federico II, Damiano Distante UnitelmaSapienza University of Rome, Filippo Ricca DIBRIS, Università di Genova | ||
10:00 15mTalk | Temporal Evolution of Architectural Complexity and Technical Debt in Microservices: An Exploratory Case Study Research Papers Bhuwan Paudel Blekinge Institute of Technology, Javier Gonzalez-Huerta Blekinge Institute of Technology, Ehsan Zabardast Nordea / Blekinge Institute of Technology | ||
10:15 15mTalk | Detecting Technical Debt in Source Code Changes using Large Language Models Research Papers Merve Astekin SINTEF, Arda Goknil SINTEF Digital, Sagar Sen , Simeon Tverdal SINTEF Digital, Phu Nguyen SINTEF | ||
10:30 7mTalk | LLM-based Multi-Agent System for Intelligent Refactoring of Haskell Code Short Papers and Posters Shahbaz Siddeeq Tampere University, Muhammad Waseem Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland, Zeeshan Rasheed Tampere University, Md Mahade Hasan Tampere University, Jussi Rasku Tampere University, Mika Saari Tampere University, Henri Terho Eficode Oy, Kalle Mäkelä Eficode Oy, Kai-Kristian Kemell Tampere University, Pekka Abrahamsson Tampere University | ||
10:37 7mTalk | Architecture Degradation at Scale: Challenges and Insights from Practice Short Papers and Posters Ehsan Zabardast Nordea / Blekinge Institute of Technology, Bhuwan Paudel Blekinge Institute of Technology, Javier Gonzalez-Huerta Blekinge Institute of Technology DOI Authorizer link File Attached | ||
10:44 7mTalk | How Well Small Language Models Can Be Adapted for Software Maintenance and Refactoring Tasks Short Papers and Posters Gabija Asvydyte University of Groningen, Sushant Kumar Pandey University of Groningen, The Netherlands, Sivajeet Chand Technical University of Munich | ||