The RPG Developer of 2030 — What Skills Will Matter
Today’s Coffee
Today’s coffee is Dunkin Midnight.
It is the kind of coffee that makes you pause after the first sip. Dark,
bold, and unapologetic, it does not ease you into the morning. It wakes you up
and makes you pay attention. There is a seriousness to a dark roast. It signals
intention. You are not drifting into the day. You are stepping into something
that matters.
I have always believed that the coffee you choose shapes how you approach
the work in front of you. Lighter roasts feel comfortable and familiar. Dark
roasts feel forward-looking. They carry a quiet message: be ready, because
something is changing.
Thinking about the future of RPG development feels a lot like drinking
Dunkin Midnight.
It is bold.
It is a little uncomfortable.
And it forces you to think about what comes next.
Because the truth is simple. The RPG developer of 2030 will not look like
the RPG developer of the past. The platform is still strong. IBM i is still
critical to business. But the role of the developer is evolving, and that
evolution is already underway.
First Sip
At a recent IBM i conference, I was standing near the coffee table
between sessions, talking with a small group of developers. The conversation
started the way these conversations usually do. SQL. APIs. Modernization.
Integration. The steady shift everyone is feeling in their day-to-day work.
Then one developer asked a simple question.
“Do you think RPG is going away?”
The room went quiet.
Not awkward quiet. Thoughtful quiet. The kind of quiet where everyone
understands the real question behind the words.
He was not asking about the language. He was asking about his future.
Would his skills still matter?
Would IBM i still have a place in a world of cloud platforms and AI tools?
Was he investing his time in something that still had a future?
I took a sip of coffee and thought about it for a moment.
“No. RPG is not going away. But the RPG developer of the future is going
to look different.”
Heads nodded. Not because it was surprising, but because it was already
true.
That conversation stayed with me the rest of the day.
RPG Developers Are
Not Going Away
There is a narrative that shows up every few years suggesting that RPG is
fading out. It usually comes from outside the IBM i community, from people who
see the age of the platform and assume replacement is inevitable.
But inside IBM i environments, the reality is very different.
These systems run core business operations across industries. Orders,
inventory, billing, logistics, healthcare systems — all powered by applications
that have been refined and trusted for decades. They are stable, reliable, and
deeply embedded in how businesses operate.
IBM continues to invest in the platform. The ecosystem continues to
evolve. The demand for RPG developers is still there.
The question is not whether RPG will survive.
The question is what RPG developers must become to stay relevant.
RPG Is Becoming
Integration-First
One of the biggest shifts happening in IBM i development is the move
toward integration-first thinking.
In the past, RPG programs were often designed to operate within the
system. They processed files, updated records, and generated reports. External
communication was limited and often handled in batches.
Today, everything is connected.
Web applications need real-time data.
Mobile apps need order status updates.
Cloud platforms need access to business logic.
Partners need APIs to exchange information automatically.
RPG is no longer just processing data. It is participating in a connected
ecosystem.
Developers are exposing programs through IBM Web Services (IWS). They are
building REST endpoints. They are handling JSON payloads directly in RPG. They
are designing services that allow IBM i to communicate with other platforms in
real time.
This is a fundamental shift.
The RPG developer is no longer working inside a boundary. They are
building the bridges that connect systems together.
This is where the dark roast moment hits.
There is no easing into this change. Integration forces clarity. It
forces you to understand how systems interact, how data flows, and how your
code fits into a larger architecture.
And once you see it, you cannot unsee it.
SQL and APIs Are No
Longer Optional
Modern RPG development is built on SQL and APIs.
Developers are writing EXEC SQL directly inside their programs. They are
using QSYS2 services to retrieve system information and build dynamic
solutions. They are creating stored procedures and leveraging SQL views to
simplify data access.
SQL is no longer an alternative. It is the standard.
At the same time, APIs have become a core part of development.
IBM Web Services allows RPG programs to be exposed as REST services. JSON
is now a normal part of data exchange. Systems expect to communicate in real
time, and RPG developers are responsible for making that happen.
This changes how developers think.
It is no longer just about processing records. It is about designing how
data moves between systems and how business logic is shared across
environments.
The developers who understand SQL and APIs are not just keeping up. They
are becoming essential to how modern IBM i systems operate.
AI Assistants Are
Changing Development Workflows
AI is beginning to reshape how RPG developers work, and IBM BOB is at the
center of that shift for the IBM i community.
Imagine opening an older RPG program and asking an AI assistant to
analyze it. Instead of spending hours reading through the code, you immediately
see suggestions.
Convert fixed-format code to free-format.
Replace CHAIN operations with EXEC SQL.
Generate documentation explaining the business logic.
Identify areas that can be modernized or simplified.
That is the kind of workflow IBM BOB is enabling.
Tools like Copilot and IBM BOB extend this even further, helping
developers generate code, suggest improvements, and speed up repetitive tasks.
This does not replace developers.
It changes their role.
Developers spend less time writing boilerplate code and more time making
decisions. They focus on architecture, design, and solving business problems
instead of manually building every piece of logic.
AI becomes a tool that amplifies capability.
The RPG developer of 2030 will not compete with AI. They will work
alongside it, guiding it and using it to build better solutions faster.
Git, DevOps, and Automation Are Becoming Core Skills
The way RPG code is managed and deployed is also evolving.
More teams are adopting Git-based workflows using VS Code. Code is
versioned, changes are tracked, and collaboration becomes easier. Development
is no longer isolated. It is structured and shared.
Automation is becoming part of the process.
Build pipelines, testing workflows, and controlled deployments reduce
manual effort and improve reliability. Changes move through environments in a
predictable and repeatable way.
This is a shift from traditional promotion-based development to modern
engineering practices.
Developers now need to understand how code moves through a lifecycle.
They need to be comfortable with version control, automation, and structured
deployment processes.
This brings IBM i development closer to the broader software engineering
world while still preserving the strengths of the platform.
Communication and
Business Knowledge Matter More Than Syntax
The technical changes happening in RPG development naturally lead to a
human shift.
The same integration that connects systems also connects people.
RPG developers are working more closely with business teams, architects,
and leadership. They are explaining how systems work, translating requirements,
and helping shape solutions.
Communication becomes a core skill.
Developers who can clearly explain technical concepts and understand
business needs become significantly more valuable. They can make better
decisions, design better systems, and contribute beyond just writing code.
Business knowledge matters just as much.
Understanding how applications impact revenue, operations, and customer
experience changes how developers approach their work. It turns technical
execution into meaningful contribution.
The RPG developer of the future is not just a programmer.
They are a problem solver and a partner to the business.
Final Sip
Later that afternoon, I saw the same developer again in the hallway.
He had another cup of coffee in his hand and looked a little more
relaxed.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said,” he told me. “RPG isn’t going
away. We just have to grow with it.”
That simple statement captured everything.
The future of RPG development is not about survival. It is about
evolution.
RPG developers who grow with the platform will not struggle to stay
relevant. They will lead the next generation of IBM i development.
And ten years from now, when someone asks the same question at another
conference coffee table, the answer will still be the same.
RPG is not going away.
RPG developers are moving forward.
-The RPG Blend
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