Zynerator: Bridging Model-Driven Architecture and Microservices for Enhanced Software Development

Abstract

Model-driven architecture (MDA) has demonstrated significant potential in automating code generation processes, yet its application often falls short in addressing the complexities of modern architectural styles, notably microservices. Microservice architecture, characterized by its decomposition of applications into small, independently deployable services, presents unique challenges and opportunities that traditional MDA approaches struggle to accommodate. In this paper, Zynerator, a novel framework that bridges the gap between model-driven architecture and microservice development, is presented. By integrating semantic decorators into the PIM, Zynerator empowers end-users to express intricate functional and non-functional requirements, laying the foundation for the generation of contextually appropriate code. Moreover, Zynerator goes beyond traditional MDA capabilities by offering a solution for microservice architecture integration, enabling the generation of service gateways, service discovery mechanisms, and other essential components inherent to microservice ecosystems. This integration not only streamlines the development process but also ensures the scalability, resilience, and maintainability of microservice-based applications. Through Zynerator, a flexible and comprehensive solution is presented that leverages the strengths of model-driven architecture (MDA), while addressing the evolving needs of modern software architecture, particularly in the realm of microservice development. Empirical results showed that Zynerator enhances code generation alignment to functional requirements by 55%, reduces microservice adoption in terms of communication and deployment times by 30%, and increases system scalability by supporting up to 10,000 concurrent users, without performance degradation.