Modernize your legacy apps with minimal code changes using sidecars

The cloud has transformed the business environment. Continuous innovation is no longer an option and enterprise apps must modernize or die.. Generative AI is being rapidly adopted not only to build entirely new apps, but also to transform existing apps to deliver higher value AI-enabled outcomes. App modernization means updating and improving your apps so they can work well with evolving software and the cloud. There are several ways to achieve this, including simply ‘lifting and shifting’ the application to the cloud or rewriting it as a cloud-based service that plays well with other modern solutions.

Today we’re excited to announce the general availability of Sidecars in Azure App Service, a versatile path that allows organizations to modernize existing apps and add a wide range of powerful new features without significantly rewriting the underlying application code.

What is a sidecar and where does it fit into the modernization story?

What is the sidecar pattern? Think of it like a motorcycle with a sidecar attached. Associate a primary enterprise app (motorcycle) with a set of modern auxiliary tasks deployed in its own container (sidecar). These operations allow you to add new functionality by adding SDKs, such as AI, logging, monitoring, and security features, to your base application without having to significantly modify and redeploy the app.

The sidecar pattern allows you to bring modern features like AI to your legacy apps much faster without having to rebuild the base app from scratch. There are also lifecycle and integration benefits. Native apps and sidecar features can be handled and managed as a single unit. Because they remain as individual apps, they are easier to maintain and components in a sidecar can be modified independently without changing the entire app (and vice versa).

Add modern features to existing apps using sidecars

Let’s look at a few app modernization scenarios where a sidecar approach can help.

Inject generative AI into existing apps. Microsoft offers several AI models to help you start your AI journey, whether you choose a large language model (LLM) like Azure OpenAI or a small language model (SLM) like Phi-3. SLM is lightweight, efficient, and accessible, making it ideal for limited computational resources and real-time inference. You can improve performance and accuracy by fine-tuning it for your specific domain. SLM is safer, more environmentally friendly, and suitable for edge computing due to its smaller code base, lower energy usage, and faster inference time. In this example, you can: Phi-3 ONNX integration using the sidecar pattern Deploy and run intelligent apps on Azure App Service without leveraging GPUs. This approach could provide a faster way to get started with AI at a relatively low cost. It also serves as an on-ramp for extending to more generalized and powerful large language models (LLMs), such as: Deploy OpenAI-based apps to Azure App Service In the future.

Get modern observability, reporting, and analytics. Observability has become critical in modern AI-based applications. Sidecars allow you to integrate metrics, logging, and tracking functionality without having to completely rebuild your main app. This includes our solutions: The features of Azure Monitor Application Insights include: Azure Monitor As well as application performance monitoring (APM) for live web applications. Azure native ISV service partners such as Dynatrace, Datadog, and more. Learn more.

Improve web app performance during high traffic. Redis Cache is an in-memory data store, allowing data retrieval much faster than traditional databases. This can improve application performance, especially for read-intensive workloads. Azure Cache for Redis integrates seamlessly with other Azure services such as Azure App Service, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), and Azure Functions. by Deploying Redis cache as a sidecarmakes it easier to take advantage of caching and improve the performance of your web applications.

These are just a few examples of how you can use sidecars to modernize your applications. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination!

Get started with Azure App Service today

visit product documentation Learn more and get started. Please watch Learn Live Sessions Get on-demand demos of new features from experts. join us Microsoft Ignite 2024 Discover solutions to help you modernize and manage intelligent apps, including demos of the sidecar pattern and opportunities to connect with engineers building this technology in our expert hangout area.

If you’re new to Azure, take advantage of our free credit program by: Sign up for a free account to Azure App Service.

Other useful resources to learn more include: