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Context: A microservice architecture is composed of a set of small services, each running in its own process and communicating with lightweight mechanisms. Many aspects on architecting with microservices are still unexplored and existing research is still far from being crispy clear. Objective: We aim at identifying, classifying, and evaluating the state of the art on architecting with microservices from the following perspectives: publication trends, focus of research, and potential for industrial adoption. Method: We apply the systematic mapping methodology. We rigorously selected 103 primary studies and we defined and applied a classification framework to them for extracting key information for subsequent analysis. We synthesized the obtained data and produced a clear overview of the state of the art. Results: This work contributes with (i) a classification framework for research studies on architecting with microservices, (ii) a systematic map of current research of the field, (iii) an evaluation of the potential for industrial adoption of research results, and (iv) a discussion of emerging findings and implications for future research. Conclusion: This study provides a solid, rigorous, and replicable picture of the state of the art on architecting with microservices. Its results can benefit both researchers and practitioners of the field.

Abstract-Microservices are a new trend rising fast from the enterprise world. Even though the design principles around microservices have been identified, it is difficult to have a clear view of existing research solutions for architecting microservices.In this paper we apply the systematic mapping study methodology to identify, classify, and evaluate the current state of the art on architecting microservices from the following three perspectives: publication trends, focus of research, and potential for industrial adoption. More specifically, we systematically define a classification framework for categorizing the research on architecting microservices and we rigorously apply it to the 71 selected studies. We synthesize the obtained data and produce a clear overview of the state of the art. This gives a solid basis to plan for future research and applications of architecting microservices.

Microservices are gaining tremendous traction in industry and a growing scientific interest in academia. More and more companies are adopting this architectural style for modernizing their products and taking advantage of its promised benefits (e.g., agility, scalability). Unfortunately, the process of moving towards a microservice-based architecture is anything but easy, as there are plenty of challenges to address from both technical and organizational perspectives. In this paper we report about an empirical study on migration practices towards the adoption of microservices in industry. Specifically, we designed and conducted a survey targeting practitioners involved in the process of migrating their applications and we collected information (by means of interviews and questionnaires) on (i) the performed activities, and (ii) the challenges faced during the migration. Our findings benefit both (i) researchers by highlighting future directions for industryrelevant problems and (ii) practitioners by providing a reference framework for their (future) migrations towards microservices.

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