Case Studies

Breaking free from the monolith: Orkestro's architectural transformation

This case might interest you if:

your monolith is slowing down new feature development

you want to reduce risks associated with production deployments

you are looking for a safe modernization path without impacting business

Orkestro, a London-based technology startup, has developed a platform that connects retailers with specialized courier services for last-mile deliveries. Their solution enables businesses to select optimal courier services, monitor local deliveries, and manage communications between drivers and customers, integrating everything with existing ePOS and eCommerce platforms.

The limitations of monolithic architecture

As Orkestro's business grew, the monolithic architecture began showing increasing critical issues due to the complexity of releasing new software versions (deployment):

system updates were increasingly risky

deep interdependencies within the system created significant development bottlenecks

every platform modification carried the risk of system-wide impacts

the inability to scale individual components was starting to limit business growth

The goal was therefore clear but ambitious: transform the architecture while maintaining service continuity for existing customers. This required careful planning and precise execution to ensure business continuity throughout the transition.

A strategic approach to migration

Our solution focused on maintaining stability during the progressive implementation of the new architecture. To achieve this goal, we developed a comprehensive strategy to address all aspects of the transformation.

Controlled transition

The first phase focused on creating a bridge between old and new. We modified the existing monolith to communicate effectively with the new microservices architecture, enabling parallel operations. This allowed us to develop and test new features while maintaining existing ones without interruption. As each service proved its reliability, we methodically migrated the corresponding functionality from the monolith, ensuring a smooth transition and maintaining system stability.

Feature management system

Central to our strategy was sophisticated feature management. This system provided granular control over the transition, enabling runtime activation and deactivation of features and systematic testing under production conditions.

Message-based architecture

The new architecture relied on RabbitMQ as the primary communication tool, proving crucial for system resilience. This message-based approach enabled reliable communication between independent services while preventing cascade failures. In case of issues, the system maintained message integrity and ensured effective service recovery, providing Orkestro with a solid foundation for future scalability.

Measurable improvements

The transformation yielded significant results across multiple dimensions of the platform.

Deployment capability

The platform moved from bi-weekly releases to multiple daily releases, enabling rapid feature distribution and better responsiveness to market needs.

New system modularity

The creation of over 25 independent microservices brought a new level of modularity to the system, improving both maintainability and development speed through autonomous team operations.

Continuity of service for customers

During this transformation, the platform maintained 99.99% availability, even during significant architectural changes.

These improvements translated directly into business value

faster time to market

improved operational efficiency

constant service quality for end users

This redesign was essential for both traffic growth and agility in designing new products. Working with coders51 helped us refactor our platform while maintaining focus on developing features for our customers. Leveraging their knowledge of domain driven design and other expertise helped us instill better engineering practices.

Daryl Rodrigo
CTO
Orkestro

Continuous evolution

The platform continues to evolve through development strategies. As new functional needs emerge, we develop them directly as independent services, preserving the architectural benefits achieved. In parallel, we continue to progressively migrate remaining monolithic functions, prioritizing based on business value and operational impact.

During this ongoing process, we constantly refine our development and deployment practices to further improve efficiency.

This transformation has provided Orkestro with the technical foundation needed to efficiently scale their operations while maintaining reliable service delivery. The new architecture supports their growth objectives while ensuring stability and operational efficiency.

If your company is also looking for an architectural evolution, you know what to do.