Tackling Technical Debt
2025-01-09 - The Operaton Team
A Path to Long-Term Sustainability
In software development, technical debt can feel like a hidden anchor—slowing progress, complicating maintenance, and hindering innovation. At the Operaton Project, we’re addressing this head-on to lay a solid foundation for long-term maintainability and modernization.
Key Initiatives
Revamping Our Testing Framework
We’re migrating to JUnit 5, not just for modernization’s sake but to establish a future-proof, extensible, and maintainable test base.
With over 25,000 test cases, maintaining tests is already a challenge. Outdated tools discourage contributors from adding new cases. By adopting JUnit 5, we ensure our testing framework meets today’s standards and expectations, making it easier for developers to contribute.
Reducing Technical Debt
Our Sonar analysis revealed over 16,000 code issues—a clear sign of accumulated technical debt. While the overall code quality is decent, the sheer volume of issues creates challenges in maintaining high standards.
Here’s what we’ve achieved so far:
- Addressed one third of these findings.
- Set a goal to reduce the debt to 8,000 issues within two months, with continuous improvement beyond that.
By setting and enforcing higher standards, we’re creating a cleaner, more maintainable codebase for the future.
Eliminating Legacy Dependencies
We’re removing outdated Java EE components, and this is about more than just “cleaning house.” It’s about:
- Eliminating security risks.
- Reducing complexity.
- Opening the door for innovation.
By upgrading to the latest frameworks, we’re leveraging their ongoing improvements in security, performance, and quality while avoiding the burden of maintaining both legacy and modern implementations.
Why It Matters
Every part of this effort—from modernizing tests to addressing code quality—is about creating a platform that’s sustainable, secure, and ready for the future.
This isn’t just a cleanup—it’s a strategic renovation that lays the groundwork for innovation and seamless transitions, including for users migrating from Camunda 7.
What’s Your Approach?
How do you balance technical debt and innovation in your projects?
Feel free to join the conversation in our forum.
Together, we can create a stronger, more innovative open-source community.