Modernizing .NET Applications

Chapter 7. New Components for Your Modernized .NET Applications

Back in Chapter 1, we talked about those home improvement shows on HGTV. Whenever one of the smiling participants hires an interior decorator to fix up their home, a lot of “stuff” leaves the house, and lots of new “stuff” finds its way in. The house isn’t gutted; key pieces of furniture stay, and the structure isn’t dramatically altered. But a fresh design warrants new pieces. The same goes for your modernized .NET applications. When refactoring your software, it’s an opportune time to freshen up your codebase with components that reflect your new priorities. In this chapter, let’s look at what you should consider adding to your modernized apps.

Open Source Data and Messaging Software

Changing your data platforms is scary. I get it. Your databases store years of records and many applications have coalesced around them. Whatever you use for integrating data—be it classic Enterprise Service Bus or commercial Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) tools, or both—likely forms an integral part of your enterprise architecture. You better have a good reason to swap out these technologies.

In many cases, you do have such a reason. For our modern .NET apps, we’re prioritizing flexiblity, portability, and performance, not to mention compatibility with the modern patterns we’re implementing. Let’s begin with database engines. Classic commercial database platforms are still a good bet. They’re powerful and feature-rich. They’re ...