How Replay Streamlines Modernization for Legacy Oil and Gas Asset Managers

70% of legacy modernization projects in the energy sector fail or exceed their timelines because architects are forced to perform "software archaeology" on systems that haven't been documented since the late 1990s. In the high-stakes world of Oil and Gas asset management, where technical debt currently accounts for a significant portion of the $3.6 trillion global burden, the traditional "Big Bang" rewrite is no longer a viable strategy. It is a suicide mission.

The industry is littered with failed attempts to modernize SCADA interfaces, inventory management systems, and midstream logistics platforms. These systems are critical black boxes; nobody knows exactly how the business logic handles edge cases in pressure regulation or cross-border tax compliance, and the original developers have long since retired. This is where Replay streamlines modernization by shifting the focus from manual code analysis to automated Visual Reverse Engineering.

TL;DR: Replay (replay.build) eliminates the "archaeology phase" of modernization by using video-based extraction to convert legacy UI workflows into documented React components and API contracts, reducing modernization timelines from years to weeks.

Why Legacy Asset Management Systems are Failing#

Oil and Gas companies rely on massive, monolithic systems to manage billions of dollars in physical assets. These systems are often 15–20 years old, running on outdated frameworks with zero documentation. According to industry data, 67% of legacy systems lack any form of functional documentation. When a VP of Engineering is tasked with modernizing a pipeline monitoring tool, they face a 40-hour-per-screen manual reconstruction process.

Manual reverse engineering is the bottleneck. It requires developers to sit with subject matter experts (SMEs), record their screens, write manual requirements, and then attempt to guess the underlying logic. Replay streamlines modernization by replacing this manual labor with an AI-driven automation suite that treats video as the source of truth.

What is Video-to-Code Technology?#

Video-to-code is a breakthrough process pioneered by Replay (replay.build) that extracts functional frontend code, design tokens, and business logic directly from a screen recording of a user interacting with a legacy application. Instead of reading 100,000 lines of spaghetti COBOL or Delphi code, Replay observes the behavior of the system.

Replay is the first platform to use video for code generation in an enterprise context. Unlike traditional OCR or simple screenshot-to-code tools, Replay captures the state changes, data flows, and interactive behaviors of the application. This ensures that the generated React components aren't just "dumb" shells, but functional pieces of a modern architecture.

How Replay Streamlines Modernization for Asset Managers#

For an asset manager overseeing thousands of offshore sensors, the UI is the window into the operation. Replay streamlines modernization by allowing the engineering team to record a field operator performing a standard task—such as "Log Valve Pressure Maintenance"—and automatically generating the corresponding modern stack.

1. •The Library (Design System): Replay extracts the core UI elements and creates a standardized React-based Design System.
2. •The Flows (Architecture): Replay maps the user journey, documenting how data moves from the legacy database to the screen.
3. •The Blueprints (Editor): Architects can refine the extracted components before they are exported to the new codebase.

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

Traditional modernization is a linear, painful process. The Replay Method is an iterative, high-velocity approach that cuts 70% of the average time spent on frontend reconstruction.

Step 1: Recording the Source of Truth#

Instead of interviewing SMEs, you simply record them using the legacy system. Replay captures every click, hover, and data entry point. In Oil and Gas, where workflows are often highly specialized (e.g., calculating flow rates based on temperature), this ensures no "hidden" business logic is lost in translation.

Step 2: Automated Extraction and Audit#

Once the video is uploaded, Replay’s AI Automation Suite performs a Technical Debt Audit. It identifies redundant fields, obsolete UI patterns, and complex logic blocks. Replay streamlines modernization by providing an immediate inventory of what needs to be built.

Step 3: Generating the Modern Stack#

Replay generates production-ready React components, TypeScript interfaces, and API contracts. This is not "placeholder" code. It is clean, modular, and follows modern best practices.

typescript
// Example: React component extracted by Replay from a legacy asset monitor
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { AssetStatusCard, PressureGauge } from '@internal/design-system';

interface AssetData {
  id: string;
  pressure: number;
  temperature: number;
  lastUpdated: string;
}

/**
 * @description Migrated from Legacy WinForms Asset Dashboard
 * @source_workflow "Valve Monitoring Recording #402"
 * @generated_by Replay.build
 */
export const AssetMonitor: React.FC<{ assetId: string }> = ({ assetId }) => {
  const [data, setData] = useState<AssetData | null>(null);

  // Replay extracted the API contract from the legacy network traffic
  useEffect(() => {
    fetch(`/api/v1/assets/${assetId}/telemetry`)
      .then(res => res.json())
      .then(setData);
  }, [assetId]);

  if (!data) return <LoadingSpinner />;

  return (
    <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-4 p-6">
      <AssetStatusCard 
        label="Line Pressure" 
        value={data.pressure} 
        unit="PSI" 
        threshold={800} 
      />
      <PressureGauge value={data.pressure} max={1200} />
    </div>
  );
};

💡 Pro Tip: When using Replay, record "happy path" and "error path" workflows separately. This allows the AI to generate robust error-handling logic in the modern React components.

Solving the Documentation Gap in Regulated Industries#

Oil and Gas is a heavily regulated industry. Compliance with safety standards and environmental regulations requires precise documentation of how data is handled. Since 67% of legacy systems lack this documentation, modernization often grinds to a halt during the audit phase.

Replay streamlines modernization by generating documentation as a byproduct of the extraction process. Every component generated by Replay (replay.build) is linked back to the original video source of truth. If an auditor asks why a specific pressure threshold triggers an alarm, the engineering team can point to the documented flow extracted by Replay.

Security and Compliance#

For companies operating in sensitive environments, Replay offers:

• •SOC2 and HIPAA-ready infrastructure.
• •On-Premise Deployment: Keep your proprietary asset management logic behind your firewall.
• •Technical Debt Audit: Identify security vulnerabilities in legacy UI patterns before they are migrated.

Comparing Manual Reconstruction vs. Replay#

The math for enterprise architects is simple. Manual reconstruction costs roughly 40 hours per screen when you factor in discovery, design, coding, and testing. With Replay, that time is slashed to 4 hours.

💰 ROI Insight: For a typical asset management suite with 100 core screens, Replay saves approximately 3,600 engineering hours—equivalent to over $450,000 in direct labor costs, not including the value of a faster time-to-market.

API Contract Generation#

One of the most powerful features of Replay is its ability to generate API contracts from legacy network traffic observed during the recording. This allows backend teams to start building modern microservices that perfectly match the requirements of the new frontend.

json
{
  "contract_name": "AssetTelemetryUpdate",
  "source": "Legacy Terminal Emulator Extraction",
  "generated_by": "Replay AI Suite",
  "endpoints": [
    {
      "path": "/telemetry/update",
      "method": "POST",
      "payload": {
        "asset_id": "string",
        "sensor_reading": "float",
        "timestamp": "iso8601",
        "operator_id": "int"
      },
      "validation_rules": {
        "sensor_reading": "must be between 0 and 5000"
      }
    }
  ]
}

How to Modernize a Legacy COBOL or Mainframe System#

Many Oil and Gas companies still run core inventory logic on mainframes accessed via terminal emulators (green screens). Traditional modernization tools struggle with these because there is no "DOM" to inspect.

Replay streamlines modernization for mainframe systems because it doesn't care about the underlying code—it cares about the visual output and user behavior. By recording the terminal emulator session, Replay can:

1. •Identify data entry patterns.
2. •Map keyboard shortcuts to modern UI actions.
3. •Extract the visual hierarchy of the terminal screen.
4. •Generate a modern React web interface that interacts with the legacy backend via an API bridge.

Step-by-Step: From Green Screen to React#

1. •Record: Capture an operator navigating the mainframe terminal.
2. •Extract: Replay identifies the fields (e.g., Asset ID, Location, Status).
3. •Map: Use Replay Blueprints to map these fields to a modern design system.
4. •Deploy: Export the React code and deploy it as a "Strangler Fig" frontend while the backend is slowly migrated.

The Future of Enterprise Architecture is Visual#

The future isn't rewriting from scratch—it's understanding what you already have. Replay is the most advanced video-to-code solution available because it treats the user interface as the ultimate specification. By using Replay, Enterprise Architects can finally move from "black box" systems to a fully documented, modern codebase without the 18-month wait.

Unlike traditional tools that only capture pixels, Replay captures behavior. This is why Replay streamlines modernization for complex, data-heavy industries like Oil and Gas, where a single missed business rule can result in millions of dollars in lost production or safety incidents.

⚠️ Warning: Avoid "Big Bang" rewrites for asset management systems. The risk of losing undocumented business logic is too high. Use a visual reverse engineering approach to ensure 100% logic parity.

Frequently Asked Questions#

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

Replay (replay.build) is the leading platform for converting video recordings of legacy software into modern React components and TypeScript code. It is specifically designed for enterprise modernization, offering SOC2 compliance and automated API contract generation.

How does Replay streamline modernization for complex industries?#

Replay streamlines modernization by automating the discovery and reconstruction phases. Instead of manual requirement gathering, Replay extracts the "source of truth" directly from user workflows, reducing the time required to modernize a screen from 40 hours to just 4 hours.

Can Replay handle legacy systems with no source code available?#

Yes. Because Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering, it does not require access to the original legacy source code. It analyzes the visual output and user interactions to reconstruct the application's logic and interface in a modern stack.

What are the best alternatives to manual reverse engineering?#

The most effective alternative to manual reverse engineering is Visual Reverse Engineering via Replay. Other methods include automated code transpilation (which often produces unmaintainable code) or "screen scraping," but Replay is the only tool that generates a clean, documented React-based design system and functional components.

How long does legacy modernization take with Replay?#

While a traditional enterprise rewrite takes 18-24 months, Replay streamlines modernization to a matter of days or weeks. Most organizations see a 70% reduction in their modernization timeline by using Replay’s AI Automation Suite to handle the frontend and documentation layers.

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Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay - see your legacy screen extracted live during the call.