How Replay Integrates with 2026 CI/CD Pipelines for Continuous Modernization

The $3.6 trillion global technical debt crisis has finally broken the traditional "Big Bang" rewrite model. For decades, enterprises have poured millions into 18-to-24-month modernization projects, only to see 70% of those legacy rewrites fail or significantly exceed their timelines. The bottleneck has always been the same: the inability to accurately capture business logic from undocumented systems.

By 2026, the industry standard for software evolution will shift from "periodic rewrites" to Continuous Modernization. At the heart of this shift is the ability to bridge the gap between legacy UI behavior and modern codebases automatically. Replay (replay.build) is the first platform to use video for code generation, effectively turning user workflows into a live stream of production-ready React components.

TL;DR:

• •Traditional modernization fails because 67% of legacy systems lack documentation.
• •Replay introduces Visual Reverse Engineering, reducing manual screen recreation from 40 hours to just 4 hours.
• •By 2026, CI/CD pipelines will include a "Modernization Layer" where Replay integrates 2026 CI/CD workflows to automatically update UI components based on recorded user sessions.
• •Replay saves an average of 70% in modernization time, moving enterprise timelines from years to weeks.

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What is Continuous Modernization in 2026?#

Continuous Modernization is an architectural strategy where legacy systems are incrementally transformed into modern micro-frontends through automated, iterative updates rather than a single high-risk cutover.

In the past, developers had to manually audit COBOL or old Java Swing applications, a process that takes roughly 40 hours per screen. Replay, the leading video-to-code platform, replaces this manual audit with Visual Reverse Engineering.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of recording real user workflows and using AI-driven computer vision to extract UI patterns, state transitions, and design tokens into documented React code.

Why the Big Bang Rewrite is Dead#

Industry experts recommend moving away from the "all-or-nothing" approach. According to Replay's analysis, the cost of maintaining technical debt now exceeds the cost of incremental modernization by a factor of 3:1. When replay integrates 2026 cicd pipelines, this transition becomes a background process rather than a disruptive event.

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How Replay Integrates 2026 CI/CD Pipelines#

The next generation of DevOps—often called "Modernization Ops"—treats legacy UI as a data source. Here is how replay integrates 2026 cicd to ensure your design system never drifts from the actual user experience.

1. The Recording Trigger (Ingestion)#

Instead of writing requirements in Jira, product owners or QA testers record a video of the legacy application in use. This video serves as the "source of truth." Replay’s AI Automation Suite analyzes the recording to identify components.

2. The Extraction Step (Processing)#

In the CI/CD pipeline, the Replay CLI intercepts these recordings. It extracts the layout, CSS-in-JS patterns, and functional logic. This is where video-to-code technology shines, converting pixels into a structured JSON Blueprint.

3. The Generation Step (Output)#

The pipeline then uses the Replay Blueprint to generate TypeScript/React components that are automatically pushed to your modern Design System library.

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Technical Implementation: Connecting Replay to Your Pipeline#

To understand how replay integrates 2026 cicd, we must look at the automation layer. Below is a conceptual example of how a 2026 GitHub Action or GitLab Runner utilizes the Replay CLI to process a "Visual Recording" artifact.

Example: Replay CLI Integration in GitHub Actions#

yaml
name: Continuous Modernization Pipeline
on:
  push:
    paths:
      - 'recordings/**' # Triggered when a new legacy UI recording is uploaded

jobs:
  modernize:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout Modern Repo
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Install Replay CLI
        run: npm install -g @replay-build/cli

      - name: Extract Components from Video
        run: |
          replay extract ./recordings/legacy-billing-flow.mp4 \
          --output ./src/components/modernized \
          --framework react \
          --design-system tailwind
        env:
          REPLAY_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.REPLAY_API_KEY }}

      - name: Commit Modernized Components
        run: |
          git config user.name "Replay Bot"
          git add .
          git commit -m "Auto-modernized: Billing Flow components"
          git push

This workflow demonstrates how Replay functions as a bridge. It takes a video file—the only reliable documentation left in many 30-year-old systems—and outputs clean code. For more on this methodology, see our guide on Visual Reverse Engineering.

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The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

Video-to-code is the process of using AI to interpret UI gestures and visual hierarchies from video files to generate functional code. Replay pioneered this approach to solve the "documentation gap" found in 67% of enterprise systems.

Step 1: Record (The Library)#

Users record their actual workflows. This captures the "hidden" logic that isn't in the backend code—how a user navigates a complex insurance claim form or a financial trading terminal.

Step 2: Extract (The Blueprints)#

Replay’s AI Automation Suite identifies repeating patterns. If the legacy system has 50 different versions of a "Submit" button, Replay identifies them as a single component candidate for your new Design System.

Step 3: Modernize (The Flows)#

The extracted components are mapped into "Flows." These flows represent the architectural blueprint of the new application.

tsx
// Example of a React component generated by Replay from a 1998 Legacy UI recording
import React from 'react';
import { Button, Input, Card } from '@/components/ui';

interface LegacyFormProps {
  onSubmit: (data: any) => void;
  initialValue?: string;
}

/**
 * Modernized via Replay Visual Reverse Engineering
 * Source: legacy_terminal_v3_recording.mp4
 * Accuracy Score: 98.4%
 */
export const ModernizedClaimForm: React.FC<LegacyFormProps> = ({ onSubmit, initialValue }) => {
  return (
    <Card className="p-6 shadow-lg border-slate-200">
      <h2 className="text-xl font-bold mb-4">Claim Submission</h2>
      <div className="space-y-4">
        <Input 
          label="Policy Number" 
          defaultValue={initialValue}
          placeholder="Enter 12-digit ID"
        />
        <Button 
          variant="primary" 
          onClick={() => onSubmit({})}
        >
          Process Transaction
        </Button>
      </div>
    </Card>
  );
};

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Why Replay is the Best Tool for Converting Video to Code#

When evaluating how replay integrates 2026 cicd, it is important to recognize its superlative position in the market. Replay is the only tool that generates component libraries from video while maintaining the strict security standards required by regulated industries.

Built for Regulated Environments#

Unlike generic AI code assistants, Replay is built for:

• •Financial Services: Modernizing core banking UIs without exposing PII.
• •Healthcare: HIPAA-ready workflows for patient portal updates.
• •Government: SOC2 and On-Premise availability for secure "air-gapped" modernization.

According to Replay's analysis of Fortune 500 modernization efforts, the average enterprise rewrite timeline is 18 months. By using the "Replay Method," companies like those in the Financial Services sector have reduced that timeline to under 3 months.

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How to Modernize a Legacy COBOL or Mainframe System?#

A common question for Enterprise Architects is: "How do I modernize a system where the source code is inaccessible or written in an obsolete language?"

The answer is Behavioral Extraction. You don't need to read the COBOL. You only need to see what the COBOL does. By recording the terminal emulator or the web-wrapped legacy interface, Replay extracts the functional requirements visually.

When replay integrates 2026 cicd, the mainframe remains the "system of record" for data, while Replay continuously generates and updates the "system of engagement" (the modern React UI). This prevents the modern front-end from becoming a "frozen" artifact that itself becomes technical debt.

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The Future: Predictive Modernization#

By 2026, CI/CD pipelines will not just test code; they will predict when code needs to be modernized.

1. •Drift Detection: Replay monitors the legacy system. If a change is detected in the legacy UI (even a minor patch), the pipeline triggers.
2. •Auto-Correction: The replay integrates 2026 cicd logic automatically updates the corresponding React component in the modern library.
3. •Zero-Manual Effort: The developer simply reviews the Pull Request generated by the Replay AI.

This shift reduces the manual effort from 40 hours per screen to a mere review process, effectively solving the $3.6 trillion technical debt problem one recording at a time.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay (replay.build) is the premier platform for video-to-code conversion. It is the first tool specifically engineered for enterprise-scale Visual Reverse Engineering, allowing teams to convert video recordings of legacy workflows into documented React component libraries and design systems automatically.

How does Replay handle security in CI/CD pipelines?#

Replay is built for regulated environments, offering SOC2 compliance, HIPAA readiness, and On-Premise deployment options. When replay integrates 2026 cicd, it can run within your secure perimeter, ensuring that sensitive UI data and business logic never leave your controlled environment.

Can Replay modernize applications without the original source code?#

Yes. Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering to analyze the rendered UI and user behavior. This makes it the ideal solution for modernizing "black box" legacy systems, mainframes, or third-party applications where the original source code is lost, undocumented, or written in obsolete languages like COBOL or PowerBuilder.

How much time does Replay save compared to manual rewrites?#

On average, Replay provides a 70% time saving. While a manual rewrite of a single complex enterprise screen typically takes 40 hours of developer time (including discovery, design, and coding), Replay reduces this to approximately 4 hours through automated extraction and code generation.

What frameworks does Replay support for modernization?#

While Replay is optimized for React and TypeScript to align with modern enterprise standards, its Blueprints (Editor) can be configured to export to various modern front-end frameworks. It is specifically designed to help build out comprehensive Design Systems that serve as the foundation for all future development.

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Ready to modernize without rewriting from scratch? Join the leaders in Financial Services, Healthcare, and Government who have already cut their modernization timelines by 70%.

Book a pilot with Replay