From Legacy to Modern: Migrating Kraken to the Cloud Era
Three months. That's all we had to migrate Kraken, ASN's critical online/offline application, to a modern technology stack. The pressure was on, but so was the opportunity to do things right.
Understanding the Beast
Kraken was a complex beast—an application that needed to work both online and offline, syncing data when connectivity returned. It was built years ago with technologies that, while solid at the time, were showing their age. MongoDB was the database, but everything else needed a complete overhaul.
The Modern Stack
We chose a powerful combination: - NestJS for the backend—its modular architecture and TypeScript-first approach made it perfect for building maintainable APIs - GraphQL for data fetching—giving the frontend exactly the data it needed, nothing more, nothing less - Angular (latest version) for the UI—providing a robust framework for building complex interfaces
The BID Platform
Beyond Kraken, we were also building the next generation of offer management tools—the BID platform. This was greenfield development, and we made sure to implement best practices from day one.
CI/CD from Day One
I'm a firm believer that CI/CD isn't something you add later—it's foundational. We implemented GitHub Actions pipelines that ran tests, performed code quality checks, and deployed automatically to staging environments. Every pull request was validated before it could touch the main branch.
The Offline Challenge
The trickiest part? Maintaining the offline-first capability while modernizing the stack. We implemented a robust caching strategy and conflict resolution system. When connectivity returned, the application would intelligently sync changes, handling conflicts gracefully.
Jira as Our Command Center
With such a tight timeline, tracking was crucial. We used Jira religiously—every bug, every feature, every blocker was tracked. Daily standups were focused and data-driven. We knew exactly where we stood at any moment.
Lessons in Velocity
Three months taught me that speed doesn't mean cutting corners. It means: - Clear requirements upfront - Daily communication with stakeholders - Automated testing to catch issues early - Pragmatic technical decisions that balance ideal with achievable
The Result
We delivered on time. The new Kraken was faster, more maintainable, and ready for the next decade. The BID platform launched successfully, giving ASN's teams modern tools to manage their offers effectively.
Key Takeaway
Legacy migration isn't about rewriting code—it's about understanding the domain, respecting what worked in the old system, and bringing those lessons into the modern era. And sometimes, tight deadlines bring out the best in a team.