Tools Reconstructing Microservice Architecture: A Systematic Mapping Study

Various tools have been developed to reconstruct the microservice system architecture. Some of the main reasons to build yet another architectural reconstruction tool are the lack of features to satisfy the current needs or the fact that researchers are often unaware of the existing tools. To shed light on the available tools, we performed a review of the literature in the form of a systematic mapping study to identify the different architectural reconstriction tools adopted in research works, classifying their purpose, input, and output. This paper compares 37 tools. Out of these, 19 are based on static analysis, 10 on dynamic, and 8 using a combination of them. The study shows a significant overlap among tools, with several unmaintained, abandoned, or unavailable. This work will help researchers identify the architectural reconstruction tools that fit their purposes rather than developing another similar tool. This work includes an online appendix [1].