In recent years, microservices architecture has become increasingly popular as organizations look to break down their monolithic applications into smaller, more manageable pieces. This can bring many benefits, such as increased agility and scalability, but decomposing a monolith can also be a complex and challenging process.

One key aspect of this process is managing the transfer of data between microservices. This is where technologies such as Apache Kafka, Debezium and KsqlDB can come in to help make the transition from monolith to microservices smoother and more manageable.

Kafka Connect

Kafka Connect is a tool for efficiently moving data in and out of Apache Kafka. It allows you to easily import and export data between Apache Kafka and other systems, such as databases, file systems, and key-value stores. This can be particularly useful when you're breaking down a monolithic application, as you can use Kafka Connect to move data from your monolithic database to a microservices-oriented database.

Debezium:

Debezium is a distributed platform for change data capture (CDC), build on top of Apache Kafka and Kafka Connect, that allows you to capture changes in your databases so that you can easily stream that data into Apache Kafka. This can be particularly useful when decomposing a monolith, as you can use Debezium to stream changes from your monolithic database to a new microservices-oriented database.

KsqlDB:

KsqlDB is a powerful and simple SQL engine for processing and analyzing real-time data in Apache Kafka. This makes it an ideal tool for working with data from Debezium, as you can use KsqlDB to filter and aggregate data as it is streamed into Apache Kafka.

Easing Monolith Decomposition with Kafka Connect, Debezium and KsqlDB

By using these three tools together, you can ease the process of decomposing a monolith by simplifying the transfer of data between microservices. Here's how it works:

1. Start by using Debezium to stream changes from your monolithic database into Apache Kafka.

2. Use KSQL to filter and aggregate the data as it is streamed into Apache Kafka, so that it is in a format that is easier to work with for your microservices.

3. Finally, use Kafka Connect to import the data from Apache Kafka into your microservices-oriented databases, so that your microservices can easily access and use the data they need.

Decomposing a monolith can be a complex and challenging process, but it can be made much simpler and more manageable with the help of tools like Kafka Connect, Debezium, and KsqlDB. By using these tools together, you can streamline the transfer of data between microservices, making the transition from monolith to microservices smoother and more manageable.

I will try to make a more technical post soon on this topic, but hopefully this has spark ideas on how you can deal with your very own monolith decomposition.

Cheers!