Static analysis tools in the era of cloud-native systems

TL;DR

This paper explores how static analysis tools can address architectural degradation in microservice-based cloud-native systems, highlighting challenges and necessary adaptations for effective system management.

Contribution

It proposes adaptations to traditional static analysis methods to better support microservice architectures and discusses implications for future tool development.

Findings

Static analysis can help detect architectural deviations in microservices

Traditional tools need modifications for cloud-native environments

Effective static analysis can improve system maintainability

Abstract

Microservices fuel cloud-native systems with small service sets developed and deployed independently. The independent nature of this modular architecture also leads to challenges and gaps. The intended system design might deviate far from what is eventually produced and maintained as the architecture tends to degrade over time. This paper challenges the audience on how static analysis could contribute to microservice system development and management, particularly managing architectural degradation. It elaborates on challenges and needed changes in the traditional code analysis to better fit these systems and discusses implications for practitioners once robust static analysis tools become available