RPGTools Suite

A professional engineering toolchain designed to analyze, structure and automate IBM i RPG codebases.

It focuses on understanding existing RPG sources, extracting reliable metadata, and generating OpenAPI specifications, RPG skeletons and validation outputs that enable modern, consistent workflows — without rewriting applications or introducing disruptive runtime layers.

RPGTools is used by IBM i teams who want to improve API documentation, standardize development practices, reduce manual boilerplate, and integrate RPG services into modern ecosystems.

Architecture at a Glance

RPGTools is built around a single Core Engine, reused consistently across all interfaces.

Core Engine

Parses RPG / SQLRPGLE (free & fixed format)
Resolves includes and prototypes
Detects REST endpoints
Generates OpenAPI specifications and RPG artifacts
Applies validation and consistency rules

CLI

Batch execution
Automation and CI/CD integration
Swagger generation and validation

Web UI

Configuration editor
Swagger and properties generation
Logs and diagnostics
Enterprise configuration management

VS Code Extension

Structure navigation
Swagger preview
Validation messages
Remote IBM i support

All components rely on the same parsing and generation engine, ensuring identical results regardless of how the tool is used.

End-to-End Workflow

A deterministic, traceable workflow — identical from CLI, Web UI, or VS Code.

Input: RPG / SQLRPGLE sources, local files or remote IBM i members; includes resolved using enterprise-defined search rules.
Parsing & Analysis: format detection (free/fixed), AST construction, extraction of data structures, procedures and prototypes.
REST Detection: pattern-based detection, configurable thresholds, confidence scoring, explicit annotations where available.
Generation: OpenAPI/Swagger (3.x), properties/wsparam files, RPG skeletons and templates.
Validation: structural checks, naming conventions, required headers and metadata, enterprise-specific rules.

Core Capabilities

OpenAPI / Swagger generation

Endpoint detection based on code analysis
RPG type mapping to JSON schemas
Consistent request / response models
Error and status handling
Output compatible with Swagger UI and API tooling

Keep API documentation aligned with real code — not manually maintained specs.

RPG skeleton generation

RPGTools generates structured RPG skeletons, not business logic.

Program and procedure templates
Standardized headers
Prototypes and data structures
Consistent layout and conventions

Sidecar enrichment — no RPG source changes required

Generates rich OpenAPI/Swagger specifications (descriptions, examples, enums, formats, patterns, bounds) without adding any annotation to existing RPG code
Designed for organizations that won't modify legacy, production RPG sources
A companion JSON file (PROGRAM.rpgtools.json) sits alongside the RPG source — auto-discovered at generation time
In-RPG @# annotations always take priority when present — the sidecar only fills what's missing
User-defined enrichment is preserved across regeneration — never silently overwritten, orphaned entries are detected when source structures change

RPG annotations remain the fastest path when source changes are acceptable — the sidecar is the alternative when they're not.

Watch the demo →

Validation & consistency checks

Required headers
Naming conventions
Metadata presence
REST exposure consistency
Enterprise-specific rules via configuration

Validation results are surfaced in CLI output, Web UI logs, and directly in VS Code.

Remote IBM i Support

Local and remote workflows, transparently.

Local filesystem
VS Code member:// remote files
IBM i IFS via SSH/SFTP
DB2 services via ODBC

A unified transport layer selects the appropriate mechanism based on context, enabling the same workflows locally or against IBM i systems without code changes.

Performance & Scalability

Designed for large codebases.

Include resolution optimizations
Intelligent caching (local vs remote)
Configurable TTLs
Minimal memory footprint
Deterministic execution paths

Performance tuning is driven by configuration, not hard-coded assumptions.

What RPGTools Is — and Is Not

RPGTools is

an analysis and automation toolchain
a bridge between RPG and modern API ecosystems
a productivity and consistency accelerator

RPGTools is not

a runtime REST framework
a code refactoring engine
a low-code or no-code platform
a replacement for RPG or IBM i fundamentals

Licensing

Licensed per legal entity — with no limit on the number of users or environments.

Standard

The complete RPGTools Suite — Core engine, CLI, Web UI, and VS Code extension
Licensed per legal entity, with unlimited users and environments
100% on-premise — your source code never leaves your environment

Support and software updates are not included.

Enterprise

Everything in Standard, plus:

Email support with a 48 business-hour response target
All software updates and bug fixes released during the term
Influence over the product roadmap
Guided onboarding

Both editions are licensed per legal entity. Exact scope, terms, and pricing are defined per quote — contact CoreStratos to discuss your requirements.

Demo Videos

See RPGTools in action — real workflows, no marketing fluff.

Sidecar Enrichment — No RPG Source Changes

Generate a Swagger spec from an untouched RPG source: nothing is detected. Add a companion sidecar file — no change to the RPG — and regenerate: endpoints, enums, formats, examples and constraints all appear. The mechanism behind adoption on legacy, production code.