Guidelines to Convert Legacy Applications into Docker Container Services

Abstract: In the past people would buy a program on a disc and install it ontheir local computer or server. Today, cloud computation allows usersto access their applications over the Internet while also providingthem with greater computational speed and storage possibilities. Butmoving existing legacy application into a cloud environment can bedifficult. The goals of this master thesis is to create guidelinesthat describe how the move should be executed, and evaluate thebenefits of moving legacy applications into a containerizedenvironment using Docker and Kubernetes.The work for developing the guidelines was divided into iterations toincrementally build better understanding and allow step-by-stepdevelopment of the method, discovering and focusing on a few newthings each iteration and by doing research in that area. Twoapplications were used and apart from this, research about generalpractices also helped develop the method.Research was conducted to find out what key aspects to consider, andwhat problems and risks to be aware of, from a general stand pointwhen moving an application to a cloud environment. The results aregeneral guidelines on how to move a legacy application intoKubernetes, the advantages it has and which parameters correlate tothese advantages.