• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Midrange Dynamics Dives Into REST With Acquisition

    October 2, 2019 Alex Woodie

    Change management specialist Midrange Dynamics this month announced that it has acquired Rest4i, the UK-based developer of a native IBM i framework for integrating RPG and SQL applications with REST-based APIs. The move positions Midrange Dynamics as a player in the rapidly evolving world of microservices.

    Rest4i was founded several years ago by Stuart Milligan, who headed up DB2 database modernization firm Databorough before selling it to Fresche Solutions (then Fresche Legacy) back in 2013. Milligan foresaw the coming wave of microservices and developed software to “turn the IBM i into a complete REST API server and the RPG developers into the most modern workforce, who happen to use RPG,” Milligan told IT Jungle in 2018.

    The company’s primary offering was LXR (pronounced “Lexer”), a collection of software designed to automate and simplify the development of REST-based APIs from existing IBM i assets. The software shields much of the complexity of creating REST Web services, the company says, including parsing, translating, authentication, encryption, allowing the IBM i developer to focus on the business logic instead of the plumbing. The code generated by LXR adheres to Swagger, open source framework for REST Web services, as well as the OpenAPI Specification 3 (OAS3).

    The acquisition was a natural move for Midrange Dynamics, which was already moving to support Web services with its flagship change management system, MDCMS. With the delivery of MDCMS 8.2 earlier this year, the company added a new API generation feature that automatically creates a REST API from IBM i code that’s managed in the product.

    With MDRest4i Accelerator Software Development Toolkit, as LXR is now known, the company takes its API story up a notch, according to Michael Morgan, the CEO of Midrange Dynamics, which is based in Switzerland.

    “IBM i developers don’t really have to understand what REST is because we take care of the whole framework around it, including token authentication and dealing with the Apache services,” he says in a press release. “All they have to understand is how to write the RPG code.”

    In addition to generating the code, MDRest4i assists the user in documenting the new APIs, building developer portals, and generating interactive documentation in their Atlassian Confluence pages, the company says.

    MDRest4i helps IBM i shops create and consume REST-based Web services without becoming experts in all the underlying technology.

    Midrange Dynamics is also using MDRest4i to help its MDCMS customers in another way. When customers want to connect their MDCMS environment with other solutions, the company can use MDRest4i to rapidly spin up new integrations. “With this built-in REST framework, the rich DevOps and CI/CD solutions of MDWorkflow are rapidly and easily extended as technologies and requirements evolve,” the company says.

    Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. But we do know that Mulligan and other Rest4i employees are now working for Midrange Dynamics. Mulligan will continue to work on helping IBM i shops modernize their systems and expanding the ways that REST can impact their operations.

    “Since project turnaround with MDRest4i is so much faster, businesses quickly receive full value from the opportunity that the API economy presents,” Milligan said in a press release. “By following the REST standard, we enable all of the constituencies involved − customers, partners, mobile developers − to interact and contribute. Best of all, RPG developers already have the skillset to participate. Using structured, standard architecture integrates IBM i developers with the real world. This is a much easier strategic direction for larger companies to embrace.”

    RELATED STORIES

    Midrange Dynamics Speeds Table Updates In Db2 Mirror Clusters

    Rest4i Eyes Digital Transformation Via API

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags: Tags: API, IBM i, microservices, REST Web services, RPG, SQL

    Sponsored by
    VISUAL LANSA 16 WEBINAR

    Trying to balance stability and agility in your IBM i environment?

    Join this webinar and explore Visual LANSA 16 – our enhanced professional low-code platform designed to help organizations running on IBM i evolve seamlessly for what’s next.

    🎙️VISUAL LANSA 16 WEBINAR

    Break Monolithic IBM i Applications and Unlock New Value

    Explore modernization without rewriting. Decouple monolithic applications and extend their value through integration with modern services, web frameworks, and cloud technologies.

    🗓️ July 10, 2025

    ⏰ 9 AM – 10 AM CDT (4 PM to 5 PM CEST)

    See the webinar schedule in your time zone

    Register to join the webinar now

    What to Expect

    • Get to know Visual LANSA 16, its core features, latest enhancements, and use cases
    • Understand how you can transition to a MACH-aligned architecture to enable faster innovation
    • Discover native REST APIs, WebView2 support, cloud-ready Azure licensing, and more to help transform and scale your IBM i applications

    Read more about V16 here.

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    LANSA Revs Low-Code, UI Modernization Tools IBM i Clouds Proliferating At Rapid Clip

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

TFH Volume: 29 Issue: 56

This Issue Sponsored By

  • New Generation Software
  • iTech Solutions
  • Dawn May Consulting
  • ProData Computer Services
  • WorksRight Software

Table of Contents

  • IBM i Clouds Proliferating At Rapid Clip
  • Midrange Dynamics Dives Into REST With Acquisition
  • LANSA Revs Low-Code, UI Modernization Tools
  • Four Hundred Monitor, October 2
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 21, Number 39

Content archive

  • The Four Hundred
  • Four Hundred Stuff
  • Four Hundred Guru

Recent Posts

  • Liam Allan Shares What’s Coming Next With Code For IBM i
  • From Stable To Scalable: Visual LANSA 16 Powers IBM i Growth – Launching July 8
  • VS Code Will Be The Heart Of The Modern IBM i Platform
  • The AS/400: A 37-Year-Old Dog That Loves To Learn New Tricks
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 25
  • Meet The Next Gen Of IBMers Helping To Build IBM i
  • Looks Like IBM Is Building A Linux-Like PASE For IBM i After All
  • Will Independent IBM i Clouds Survive PowerVS?
  • Now, IBM Is Jacking Up Hardware Maintenance Prices
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 24

Subscribe

To get news from IT Jungle sent to your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Contributors
  • Four Hundred Monitor
  • IBM i PTF Guide
  • Media Kit
  • Subscribe

Search

Copyright © 2025 IT Jungle