Play Framework 2.4.6 + Akka + Scala 2.11.12 to Play Framework 2.8.22 + Apache Pekko 1.0.3 + Scala 2.13.12

[sntiwari1]

This PR upgrades the sunbird-dial-service repository from Play Framework 2.4.6 + Akka + Scala 2.11.12 to Play Framework 2.8.22 + Apache Pekko 1.0.3 + Scala 2.13.12.

The upgrade ensures license compliance, security, and modernization, while maintaining API compatibility and preserving existing functionality.

Issue Fixed: N/A (general upgrade and maintenance)

Motivation and Context:

• License Compliance: Akka switched to Business Source License 1.1; Pekko remains Apache 2.0
• Security: Old Play and Akka versions no longer receive updates
• Modernization: Access to Play 2.8 features, Scala 2.13 improvements, and performance optimizations

Dependencies:

• Play Framework 2.8.22
• Apache Pekko 1.0.3
• Scala 2.13.12
• Jackson 2.11.4
• Guice 5.1.0
• SLF4J 2.0.9
• Logback 1.4.14
• Netty 4.1.93.Final
• Commons Lang3 3.12.0

---

Type of change

• Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
• New feature / Upgrade (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
• Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
• This change requires a documentation update

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How Has This Been Tested?

• Built all modules: mvn clean install -Dmaven.test.skip=true
• Built with test compilation: mvn clean install -DskipTests
• Packaged distribution: mvn play2:dist
• Development server runs successfully: mvn play2:run

Test Configuration:

• Software versions: Java 11/17, Play 2.8.22, Scala 2.13.12, Pekko 1.0.3
• Hardware versions: 2 CPU / 4GB RAM

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Checklist:

• My code follows the style guidelines of this project
• I have performed a self-review of my own code
• I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
• I have made corresponding changes to the documentation
• My changes generate no new warnings
• I have added tests that prove my upgrade works
• New and existing unit tests pass locally
• Any dependent changes have been merged and published in downstream modules

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Key Changes / Files Modified

Maven POMs

• Updated all POM files with Play 2.8, Pekko 1.0.3, Scala 2.13, and supporting libraries
• Added Scala 2.13 exclusions to prevent conflicts with Scala 2.11

Source Code

• Migrated Akka imports to Pekko equivalents (akka.* → org.apache.pekko.*)
• Controllers updated to accept Http.Request parameters
• Promise API converted to CompletionStage
• Header API updated to use Optional pattern

Configuration

• application.conf: Updated akka namespaces to pekko
• Actor system, serialization, dispatcher references updated

Global.java Removal

• Replaced deprecated Global.java with modules/StartModule.java using Guice
• Preserved all startup functionality (Netty system property, telemetry, health checks)
• Provides better lifecycle management via dependency injection

Play 2.8 API Updates

• StartModule implements AbstractModule for Guice-based initialization
• Filters updated to return List<EssentialFilter>
• Routes file updated for request injection

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Migration Impact

• Business Logic: No changes; functionality preserved
• API Compatibility: Maintained (Pekko API-compatible with Akka 2.6)
• Code Changes: Primarily package name updates (akka → pekko)
• License: Fully compliant with Apache 2.0

---

Phase 2

• Upgrade from Play Framework 2.8.22 to Play Framework 3.0.5 (Pending)

---

[Copilot]

Pull Request Overview

This PR upgrades the sunbird-dial-service from Play Framework 2.4.6 with Akka to Play Framework 3.0.5 with Apache Pekko 1.0.3, addressing licensing concerns and security vulnerabilities. The upgrade is executed in two phases: first to Play 2.8.22, then to 3.0.5.

Key Changes:

• Migrated from Akka to Apache Pekko 1.0.3 (Apache 2.0 licensed)
• Upgraded Play Framework from 2.4.6 to 3.0.5
• Updated Scala from 2.11.12 to 2.13.12 and Java runtime from 11 to 17
• Migrated from javax.* to jakarta.* namespaces for Jakarta EE compliance
• Replaced deprecated Global.java with modules/StartModule.java using Guice dependency injection
• Updated API signatures to use Http.Request parameters and CompletionStage instead of Promise

Reviewed Changes

Copilot reviewed 19 out of 19 changed files in this pull request and generated 6 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
pom.xml	Updated all dependency versions including Play Framework to 3.0.5, Pekko 1.0.3, Scala 2.13.12, Jackson 2.14.3, Guice 6.0.0, and various other libraries; added Scala library exclusions to prevent version conflicts
devops/roles/dial-service-deploy/templates/dial-service.conf.j2	Updated Akka configuration blocks to Pekko with renamed namespaces
conf/routes	Added Http.Request parameter to controller method signatures for Play 3.0 compatibility
conf/application.conf	Migrated from Akka to Pekko configuration, added GuiceApplicationLoader, and added secret key configuration
build/Dockerfile	Updated base image from Java 11 to Java 17
app/modules/StartModule.java	New Guice module replacing deprecated Global.java for application initialization
app/managers/DialcodeManager.java	Updated Akka imports to Pekko
app/filters/HealthCheckFilter.scala	Migrated to jakarta.inject, updated to use Pekko, and modernized Play API usage
app/elasticsearch/SearchProcessor.java	Updated Akka imports to Pekko
app/elasticsearch/ElasticSearchUtil.java	Updated Akka imports to Pekko
app/controllers/health/HealthCheckController.java	Replaced Promise with CompletionStage return types
app/controllers/dialcode/DialcodeV4Controller.java	Added Http.Request parameters and updated to CompletionStage
app/controllers/dialcode/DialcodeV3Controller.java	Added Http.Request parameters and updated to CompletionStage
app/controllers/BaseController.java	Added ThreadLocal for request context, updated header access to Optional pattern, and migrated from Promise to CompletionStage
app/Global.java	Removed deprecated GlobalSettings class
app/Filters.java	Updated to jakarta.inject, changed return type from array to List, and updated API usage
UPGRADE_README.md	Added comprehensive upgrade documentation
.github/workflows/push-image.yml	Updated Java version from 11 to 17
.circleci/config.yml	Updated Java Docker image from 14 to 17

Comments suppressed due to low confidence (3)

conf/application.conf:65

• The 'libraryDependencies' syntax is for SBT build files (build.sbt), not application.conf. These lines should be removed from the configuration file as they have no effect and may cause confusion. Dependencies should be declared in pom.xml for Maven projects.

libraryDependencies += javaWs

conf/application.conf:74

• The 'libraryDependencies' syntax is for SBT build files (build.sbt), not application.conf. These lines should be removed from the configuration file as they have no effect and may cause confusion. Dependencies should be declared in pom.xml for Maven projects.

libraryDependencies += cache

pom.xml:342

• The Maven compiler is configured for Java 11, but the documentation and Dockerfile specify Java 17 as the minimum requirement for Play 3.0.5. Update the compiler configuration to '17' to match the runtime requirement and ensure compatibility with Play Framework 3.0.5.

                    <release>11</release>

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[Copilot]

ThreadLocal variables should be cleaned up to prevent memory leaks in application servers. Consider adding a cleanup mechanism or using try-finally blocks to call currentRequest.remove() after request processing completes. In Play Framework 3.0, request objects are injected directly, making ThreadLocal unnecessary and potentially problematic.

Suggested change

	public class BaseController extends Controller {
	private static ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
	// Thread-local to store current request in Play 2.8
	private static ThreadLocal<Http.Request> currentRequest = new ThreadLocal<>();
	import java.util.function.Supplier;
	public class BaseController extends Controller {
	private static ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
	// Thread-local to store current request in Play 2.8
	private static ThreadLocal<Http.Request> currentRequest = new ThreadLocal<>();
	/**
	* Utility method to set the current request in ThreadLocal, execute the action, and ensure cleanup.
	* Usage: return withRequestContext(request, () -> { ... });
	*/
	protected CompletionStage<Result> withRequestContext(Http.Request req, Supplier<CompletionStage<Result>> action) {
	setCurrentRequest(req);
	try {
	return action.get();
	} finally {
	currentRequest.remove();
	}
	}

[sntiwari1]

@Deeksha1502 Can you look into this?

[Copilot]

Creating a new instance of BaseController directly violates dependency injection principles and the BaseController may not be properly initialized. Consider injecting BaseController through the constructor or using a static utility method that doesn't rely on controller instance state.

Suggested change

	class HealthCheckFilter @Inject()(implicit val mat: Materializer, ec: ExecutionContext) extends Filter {
	val baseController :BaseController = new BaseController()
	class HealthCheckFilter @Inject()(baseController: BaseController)(implicit val mat: Materializer, ec: ExecutionContext) extends Filter {

[sntiwari1]

@Deeksha1502 Can you look into this?

[sonarqubecloud]

Quality Gate passed

Issues
0 New issues
0 Accepted issues

Measures
0 Security Hotspots
0.0% Coverage on New Code
0.0% Duplication on New Code

See analysis details on SonarQube Cloud