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Big Bang Rewrite vs Strangler Pattern

Developers might consider a Big Bang Rewrite when a legacy system is so outdated, poorly documented, or tightly coupled that incremental changes are impractical or too costly meets developers should use the strangler pattern when dealing with monolithic legacy systems that are difficult to maintain or scale, but where a complete rewrite is too risky or disruptive. Here's our take.

🧊Nice Pick

Big Bang Rewrite

Developers might consider a Big Bang Rewrite when a legacy system is so outdated, poorly documented, or tightly coupled that incremental changes are impractical or too costly

Big Bang Rewrite

Nice Pick

Developers might consider a Big Bang Rewrite when a legacy system is so outdated, poorly documented, or tightly coupled that incremental changes are impractical or too costly

Pros

  • +It's suitable for small to medium-sized systems where the team can afford a complete halt and rebuild, often to adopt modern technologies, fix architectural flaws, or meet new business requirements quickly
  • +Related to: legacy-system-migration, refactoring

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Strangler Pattern

Developers should use the Strangler Pattern when dealing with monolithic legacy systems that are difficult to maintain or scale, but where a complete rewrite is too risky or disruptive

Pros

  • +It is particularly useful in scenarios requiring modernization of enterprise applications, such as migrating from on-premises to cloud-based architectures or updating outdated technology stacks, as it allows for incremental changes without downtime
  • +Related to: microservices, legacy-system-migration

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Big Bang Rewrite if: You want it's suitable for small to medium-sized systems where the team can afford a complete halt and rebuild, often to adopt modern technologies, fix architectural flaws, or meet new business requirements quickly and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Strangler Pattern if: You prioritize it is particularly useful in scenarios requiring modernization of enterprise applications, such as migrating from on-premises to cloud-based architectures or updating outdated technology stacks, as it allows for incremental changes without downtime over what Big Bang Rewrite offers.

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The Bottom Line
Big Bang Rewrite wins

Developers might consider a Big Bang Rewrite when a legacy system is so outdated, poorly documented, or tightly coupled that incremental changes are impractical or too costly

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