Application modernization is the transformation of a legacy application into a modern, cloud-ready business application that supports strategies like Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Continuous-Integration-Continuous-Development (CI/CD), and API-first development. If you are an OpenEdge solution architect or developer, you can kickstart your modernization process with OpenEdge 12 — the most secure and performant version of OpenEdge ever released.

Why modernize?

Over the years, OpenEdge has helped manage mission-critical aspects of businesses across a range of domains — from ERP, mortgage loans, insurance claims, to payroll. Many enterprises continue to use OpenEdge with little to no changes in their applications because applications built on OpenEdge are robust and require little maintenance.

However, with the rise of cloud-computing, the technological landscape has changed dramatically. Customers increasingly want their applications to run online, be accessible on a variety of devices, and be available all the time. OpenEdge 12 comes with a set of features that are designed to help you adapt to these changes.

Before you dive into the details of modernizing a legacy OpenEdge application, it is useful to take some time to understand the key characteristics of a modern application, the OpenEdge features that enable modernization, and the typical modernization workflow.

Characteristics of a modern application

Modern applications are typically:
  • API-centric—APIs enable extensibility and scalability. By exposing parts of your application through individual APIs, you allow for easier integration with internal and external systems.
  • UX-focused—When everything is an API, frontend developers are empowered to design better and more intuitive user experiences.
  • Cloud-enabled—Applications are delivered and consumed over the cloud. The application architecture is modular, distributed, and designed with an emphasis on scalability and performance.

OpenEdge features that enable modernization

Progress OpenEdge provides a wide set of tools that enable you to design and develop modern business applications. Key features that enable modernization include:
  • Progress Application Server for OpenEdge (PAS for OpenEdge) —Based on Apache Tomcat, PAS for OpenEdge provides a modern web server that is tailored to host ABL web applications.
  • ABL Web Handlers—ABL Web Handlers enable you to easily wrap your ABL code in RESTful APIs. All you need to do is write simple service interface procedures and let the ABL Web Handler handle the difficult task of transforming HTTP messages into ABL and vice-versa.
  • Progress Data Object Services—A Data Object Service is a specific type of RESTful ABL service that enables you to integrate your ABL business logic with JavaScript Data Object (JSDO) client applications.

Additionally, in OpenEdge 12, you can run PAS for OpenEdge in a Docker container, giving you the ability to set up CI/CD pipelines for faster development and deployment.