Application Modernization Overview

Why Modernize?

Many organizations have large portfolios of Java applications built on older frameworks and application servers. These applications work, but they carry increasing costs: slower release cycles, difficulty attracting developers, security patching burdens, and poor fit for container and Kubernetes-based deployment.

Application modernization is the process of updating these applications to use modern runtimes, frameworks, and deployment patterns — without rewriting from scratch.

Migration Toolkit for Applications (MTA)

Red Hat’s Migration Toolkit for Applications (MTA) accelerates large-scale application modernization by providing:

Analysis Engine

Scans application source code, configuration, and dependencies to identify migration issues. Produces detailed reports with effort estimates, mandatory changes, and optional improvements.

Rule Sets

Pre-built rules that detect patterns requiring changes when migrating between runtimes, frameworks, or deployment targets. Examples: JBoss EAP to Quarkus, Spring Boot version upgrades, Java EE to Jakarta EE, monolith to microservices.

Web Console

A UI for managing application portfolios, running assessments, and tracking migration progress across teams.

CLI (MTA CLI)

A command-line interface for running analysis as part of CI pipelines or developer workflows. Integrates with Dev Spaces for in-IDE analysis.

Modernization Strategies

MTA supports multiple modernization strategies depending on the application and business goals:

Replatform

Move the application to containers and OpenShift with minimal code changes. Replace the legacy application server with a supported runtime like JBoss EAP on OpenShift.

Refactor

Update the application framework and dependencies to a modern runtime like Quarkus or Spring Boot. Adopt cloud-native patterns (health checks, externalized configuration, observability).

Re-architect

Break a monolith into microservices or event-driven components. This is the most effort-intensive strategy but provides the most flexibility.

Red Hat Runtimes

After modernization, applications run on a supported Red Hat Runtime:

  • Red Hat build of Quarkus — Kubernetes-native Java framework optimized for fast startup and low memory

  • JBoss EAP — Full Jakarta EE application server for enterprise workloads

  • Red Hat build of Spring Boot — Supported distribution of Spring Boot with Red Hat libraries and security patches

  • Runtimes for Node.js, .NET, Go — Supported runtimes for polyglot environments

How MTA Fits the Software Factory

In this training, MTA connects the modernization workflow to the CI/CD pipeline built in Lab 1:

  1. Analyze — Run MTA against a legacy application to identify migration issues

  2. Modernize — Apply code changes to adopt a Red Hat Runtime

  3. Integrate — Push the modernized application into the existing CI pipeline

  4. Deploy — Argo CD deploys the updated application through the GitOps workflow

Next Steps

Proceed to Developer Hub Overview.