Prototyping and Validation of a Low-Code Platform for Dynamic Code Generation in Microservices

Abstract

Introduction: The project addressed the issue of developing microservice architectures, a practice increasingly adopted in the software industry due to its benefits in terms of scalability and maintenance. However, its implementation involves a high degree of technical complexity, especially in the design, integration, and deployment stages. Given this scenario, the development of a low-code web platform was proposed to facilitate the visual design of microservices, reducing development times and technical barriers.
Methods: To carry out the proposal, the agile Scrum methodology was applied, allowing for iterative and incremental construction of the system. The platform was developed with technologies such as Java and Spring Framework in the backend, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Thymeleaf in the frontend, and PostgreSQL as the database. Apache Kafka was incorporated for asynchronous communication, MinIO for storage, and semantic technologies such as RDF and SPARQL managed by Apache Jena. Code generation was performed with Apache Velocity, based on predefined templates.
Results: The system allowed users to design microservice architectures using a visual interface (canvas), configure specific properties, and automatically generate source code. In addition, it incorporated validations that ensured the consistency of the designs and offered mechanisms for authentication and export of the generated code.
Conclusions: The platform achieved its goal of simplifying microservice development through a low-code approach. Its usefulness as a support tool for developers was validated, reducing complexity and time spent on repetitive technical tasks.