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How risky is your legacy system? The Legacy Check

Six questions on technology, maintenance, operations and documentation – in two minutes a risk score and the modernization path that fits.

  • Runs entirely in your browser
  • No answers stored
  • No sign-up

Question 1 / 6

What does the system run on?

Language & framework

The old system runs – until it doesn't. Answer six questions on technology, maintenance, operations and documentation and get a risk score from 0 to 100 in two minutes. You also get a recommendation on whether to modernize in place, replace step by step or rebuild.

Free and without sign-up: the check runs entirely in your browser – we do not store any answers.

Risk0 /100

Three ways out of the legacy system

A high risk means secure first. Then it becomes clear which path fits.

  • Refactor

    Modernize in place: updates, tests, documentation, without swapping the architecture.

  • Strangler

    Put a facade in front of the old system and replace it area by area while it keeps running.

  • Rebuild

    Build anew and migrate the data when the technology is discontinued and nobody can operate it safely anymore.

More on the approach: Software modernization & legacy migration

Typical legacy systems

Recognize your system? Then the check is worth it.

  • AngularJS frontends
  • PHP 5 and PHP 7 applications
  • Shopware 5
  • Access and VBA solutions
  • Classic ASP
  • Grown Java or .NET monoliths

What doing nothing costs

A legacy system rarely costs you all at once, but a little more every month: updates get riskier, new features take longer, and the knowledge sits with fewer and fewer people. This technical debt grows even when nobody touches the code. The Legacy Check shows how high it already is for you.

How we score

Every answer adds 0 to 3 risk points; the sum of all six questions is normalized to 0 to 100. The weighting is deliberately equal: a discontinued framework is as dangerous as a system only one person understands.

Sources

Rating
  • Low risk: 0–33 points
  • Medium risk: 34–60 points
  • High risk: 61–100 points
Two floors

Good detail answers must not average away fundamental problems. Therefore:

  • Discontinued technology without reliable maintenance: this raises the risk to "high" regardless of the other answers.
  • Without active maintenance the risk is at least "medium" – no matter how good the technology is.
How the path is derived
  • Refactor: Technology current or only slightly dated – the risk sits in maintenance, operations or documentation.
  • Strangler: Framework and version clearly outdated together, but the system is maintained and documented well enough to replace it step by step.
  • Rebuild: Framework discontinued plus a version without support, no maintenance or no documentation.

Frequently asked questions about the legacy check

Your question isn't here? Ask us directly

When does software count as "legacy"?
Not by age but by maintainability: when updates are risky, the knowledge depends on one person or the framework no longer gets security updates, a system is legacy – even if it is only five years old.
What is the difference between refactor, strangler and rebuild?
Refactor modernizes in place: updates, tests, documentation, without swapping the architecture. Strangler puts a facade in front of the old system and replaces it area by area while it keeps running. Rebuild builds the system anew and migrates the data – sensible when the technology is discontinued and nobody can operate it safely anymore.
Does an old system have to be replaced right away?
No. A high risk means secure first: check backups, lock down access, document knowledge, close vulnerabilities. Only then does it become clear which path is economical. A running system is an advantage, not a flaw.
What happens to my answers?
The check runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are neither stored nor sent to us; we only count anonymously how often the check is completed and which rating comes out.
What risks does outdated software pose for a company?
The biggest are security holes nobody patches because the framework or version no longer gets updates, and knowledge that sits with a single person. Add servers or operating systems without updates and missing documentation that makes every change expensive and risky. The Legacy Check covers exactly these points in six questions.
How accurate is the risk score?
It is an assessment, not an expert report: every answer adds 0 to 3 risk points, the total is normalized to 0–100, and two floors stop good detail answers from averaging away an end-of-life or unmaintained system. The full calculation is shown above under “How we score”. What really fits only becomes clear from a look at the code and operations.
What does software modernization cost?
That depends on the path. A refactor in place is usually much cheaper than a rebuild; a strangler spreads the cost over several stages. Our Project Calculator gives you a first range for your project; a binding quote follows after a look at code and operations.
What is the strangler fig pattern?
An approach in which a new system gradually grows around the old one and replaces it feature by feature. The old system stays in operation until the end, so there is no risky "big bang". The term goes back to Martin Fowler.

Modernize your legacy system

Send us your score. We tell you which path fits and where to start.

Profile picture of Slawa Ditzel, Executive Partner
Slawa Ditzel
Executive Partner
info@next-levels.de +49 (0) 2161 539 71 60