Seamless Migration of Third Party SDKs in Scalable Applications

In today’s fast-paced app development ecosystem, third party SDKs, libraries & plugins play a key role in enhancing features and capabilities of an application. These help you in implementing features directly rather than developing something completely from scratch. For example, using a video call SDK for users to talk and communicate with each other.

There are various providers for a single functionality, enabling you to select the one that aligns with your goals. It’s crucial to create a coding structure in projects for third party implementations in your app in such a way that it allows easy modifications without creating an impact on the app especially when the providers change first of all, What are third party SDKs and Plugins?

What are Third Party SDKs and Plugins?

In simple terms, third party SDKs enable a developer to integrate complicated features in the application without writing the code from scratch. Some examples to name some:

1. Authentication: Firebase Authentication, Auth0
2. Video & Audio Streaming: Agora, Twilio, Zoom SDK
3. User Tracking and Analytics: Mixpanel, Rudderstack, Google Analytics
4. Payment Processing: Stripe, Razorpay, Square
5. Crash & Error Reporting: Sentry, Firebase Crashlytics

Related read: Real-Time Data Streaming Using Terra SDK

Need for Migrations

There could be various reasons to migrate providers, such as cost cutting, lack of maintenance, discontinuation of services, regulatory compliance, etc. Therefore, while selecting a new SDK for implementation, we must take care of some of the things discussed further.

Handling SDKs

Some important pointers need to be taken care of when an SDK is chosen for integration in the app, be it first time or as a replacement.

Documentation Review

Ensure that the SDK has documentation present on its official website or page for setup, instructions, configurations, options, usages & examples.

Compatibility Check

Verify that the SDK is compatible with your current development language or toolkit considering your current setup versions, flavors & environments.

Costing

Another important aspect when developing a feature with a SDK or choosing for a replacement of an SDK, this will ensure that finances are getting used efficiently according to the use cases.

Maintenance

Making checks about how well the library or SDK is a key factor while selecting it, good maintenance means keeping up with the latest version of the respective language.

Utilizing Case Studies & Creating POCs

Examine different case studies while searching for an appropriate SDK, also you can create POCs to compare different SDKs and their use cases with different scenarios.

Error Handling

Ensure to make checks on how the SDK handles different types of errors with different use cases.

Analytics and Tracking

A lot of SDKs create data and analytics of the usage in a specific session. These stats and data help developers understand things happening at the back end.

Map Features and Plan Integrations

After choosing the new SDK as a replacement, create a feature map of different functionalities in the current integration. Compile a list of instances of that SDKs in the current project for future replacements.

For each feature, note:

• The functionality it provides.
• The new SDK equivalent (if available).
• Any differences in implementation or behavior.
• Any new features that can enhance existing functionalities.
• If feature-wise replacement is not available, the workaround.

Also, take note of the impact it creates on frontend and backend functionalities. Another good practice would be creating a list of test cases by the QA team for different platforms the app works on. This should include different scenarios/test cases for that particular SDK and the expected outcome by the step of action.

This would not only help in documenting the old SDK actions but also help in verifying the entire test cases after replacing it with the new provider.

Future enhancements should be taken into consideration as well from the QA team, if the new provider fulfills those use cases, it could be a win-win situation. Adding TODOs to the instances of old provider usages in the code is helpful because it will be replaced. This helps the developer in tracking things on the code level.

Modify and Refactor Code

The best possible way to move forward with this would be to have a set of functionalities wrapped in an implementation class and extended with a different SDK class having the logic placed inside it. This would make work easy for future replacements as well.

There could be a possibility of different scenarios in different projects. If a proper coding standard is not in place, it would need to be implemented. This could often involve updating API methods, event handling, service calls, and making changes on the front end as well.

Testing Entire Use Case Thoroughly

Ensuring that all the functions are working and fulfilling the expectations from the previous provider implementation is a must. Addressing the inconsistencies in the functionality and performance impacting the users. Setting priorities for test cases could be helpful as it will create an easier understanding for the developer while resolving bugs.

Some of the best practices while testing in this scenario would be:

🔷Prioritize High-Risk Areas: Focus testing efforts on features that are critical to user experience or those that have historically been prone to issues during previous updates.

🔷Maintain Test Environment: Ensure that your testing environment mirrors the production environment as closely as possible to catch environment-specific issues

🔷Conduct Post-Migration Monitoring: After deployment, continue monitoring the application’s performance and user feedback to quickly address any post-migration issues that may arise.
early.

🔷Automate Where Possible: Leverage automated testing tools to run repetitive tests, especially for unit and regression testing. This increases efficiency and ensures consistent results.

🔷Encourage Cross-Functional Collaboration: Involve developers, testers, and product managers in the testing process to gain diverse perspectives and insights.

Potential Challenges in SDK Migration

• API Discrepancies: Differences in API structures or response formats may require code adjustments, necessitating careful mapping and testing.
• Data Loss Risks: Migration might involve data reconfiguration, so it’s essential to safeguard against data loss by employing reliable backup processes.
• User Impact and Downtime: Plan for potential downtimes and establish fallback measures to avoid service interruptions.