With over 100 million users worldwide, Git is the world’s most popular version control system—and for good reason. Combined with cloud platforms like GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, and Bitbucket, Git offers unparalleled capabilities for tracking changes, managing parallel development, simplifying audits, automating code promotion, securing source code, and more. Yet, despite its ubiquity, Git has struggled to find a major foothold in the IBM i community.
As a CIO of an IBM i shop recently said, “I have 400 developers working for me, and all of them except my IBM i developers are using Git.” This is a common story across industries—while companies adopt modern DevOps standards across most platforms, IBM i environments often remain on legacy change management tools that predate the Git era.
Why Has Git Adoption Lagged in IBM i?
The IBM i ecosystem is unique, and Git adoption faces some practical challenges:
- Different File Structures: Git manages code in hierarchical directory structures, while IBM i developers use libraries, source files, and source members.
- Build Compatibility: Git and other open-source tools often don’t natively support IBM i build processes.
- Legacy Change Management Tools: IBM i developers have relied on specialized change management tools integrated with PDM, RDi, and the new VS Code IBM i plugin.
- Unfamiliar Versioning: Git’s branch/tag/release model is unfamiliar to many IBM i developers, who are potentially used to a checkout-and-promote process.
- Environment Assumptions: Git generally assumes each environment has a fully populated repository, whereas IBM i users typically only modify sources in their development libraries.
However, as more companies establish Git as their standard version control tool, IBM i developers face increasing pressure to adopt Git-based workflows. Not only does Git offer improved visibility, productivity, and automation, but new generations of developers are already accustomed to it and expect to use it in the workplace.
Enter Eradani DevOps: Git for IBM i Without the Headaches
At Eradani, we designed our Eradani DevOps suite to bring the power of Git and open-source DevOps tools to IBM i without requiring a wholesale shift in how developers work. With Eradani DevOps, you can continue working in the familiar Library, Source File, and Source Member structure and reap the full benefits of Git.
Eradani DevOps provides:
- True Git-Based DevOps Without Restrictions: You gain access to the power and flexibility of Git, the standard for version control worldwide. Eradani DevOps lets you integrate Git with your IBM i environment seamlessly, enabling collaboration across your entire technology ecosystem without leaving IBM i out of the picture.
- Flexibility with Git Hosting Providers: Use your preferred Git hosting platform—whether it’s GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, or Bitbucket. Eradani DevOps integrates smoothly, ensuring your IBM i source code remains consistent across all platforms. Since Eradani DevOps is built on standard Git, you can tap into a wide array of integrations, such as Jira, ServiceNow, and Salesforce, for streamlined workflows.
- Modernized IBM i Change Management: Take advantage of Git’s branching model to enable parallel development, simplify merging, and reduce bottlenecks. With Eradani DevOps, you can adopt productivity boosters like automated unit testing, code scans, and regression testing, all powered by Git tool integrations.
- Seamless Synchronization Across Platforms: With Eradani DevOps, IBM i and non-IBM i code can coexist in the same repository, enabling synchronized builds across IBM i, Linux, UNIX, and Windows environments. This cross-platform integration supports emerging technologies, such as AI code suggestions with GitHub Copilot and quality enforcement with SonarQube.
- Work in Your Preferred Development Environment: Eradani DevOps meets you where you code—whether that’s RDi, PDM, or VS Code. Our solution allows you to run Git commands directly from your preferred environment, making it easy to integrate Git into your workflow without disrupting established routines.
Success Story: Transforming DevOps for a Leading Warehouse Management Software Vendor
A leading Warehouse Management Software (WMS) provider faced a corporate mandate to standardize all source code in Azure DevOps. With a tight 90-day deadline, the IBM i team needed a solution that enabled seamless integration with Azure DevOps while maintaining familiar workflows.
The WMS provider adopted Eradani DevOps and attended the Eradani DevOps Bootcamp, led by the Eradani Onboarding and Training team. Within the 90-day timeframe, they successfully migrated all RPG code to Azure DevOps, trained their IBM i team, and implemented ongoing coaching sessions to ease the transition.
The results?
- Unified tooling across all platforms, simplifying compliance and audits
- Git-based tooling enabling concurrent development, significantly boosting release speed
- Integration of third-party tools to reduce defects and enhance code quality
The Future of IBM i Development is Here
Legacy IBM i change management tools may have served their purpose, but the time has come to move beyond their limitations. Embracing Git and modern DevOps tools doesn’t just modernize IBM i development; it unlocks productivity, collaboration, and innovation at a scale IBM i has not seen before.
If you would like to see this new world of IBM i development in action, reach out to Eradani today to discover how our DevOps solution can transform your IBM i development efforts. We’d love to hear from you.
