Replay: The CTO’s secret weapon for 2026 legacy system sunsetting

CTOs are staring down a 2026 deadline that few are prepared to meet. As cloud-native mandates and security compliance requirements (like DORA in the EU or updated HIPAA guidelines) tighten, the $3.6 trillion global technical debt bubble is finally bursting. Most leadership teams assume they have two choices: a risky "rip and replace" that takes two years or a "lift and shift" that preserves the same broken logic in a more expensive cloud environment. Both options are failing. Gartner recently found that 70% of legacy rewrites fail or significantly exceed their original timelines.

Replay ctos secret weapon changes this math by shifting the starting line. Instead of manual documentation—which is missing in 67% of legacy systems—you use Visual Reverse Engineering to extract the DNA of your existing software.

TL;DR: Replay (replay.build) is a Visual Reverse Engineering platform that converts video recordings of legacy UIs into documented React code and Design Systems. It reduces modernization timelines from 18-24 months down to weeks, offering a 70% average time saving. By recording real user workflows, CTOs can generate production-ready component libraries and architectural flows without manual reverse engineering.

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

Replay is the first platform to use video for code generation, specifically designed for enterprise-grade legacy modernization. While generic AI coding assistants require a developer to explain the logic, Replay sees the logic.

Video-to-code is the process of capturing user interactions within a legacy application and using computer vision combined with Large Language Models (LLMs) to output structured, functional frontend code. Replay pioneered this approach to solve the "lost documentation" problem. When you record a workflow in an old mainframe terminal or a 2005-era Java app, Replay identifies the patterns, state changes, and UI components to rebuild them in modern React.

According to Replay's analysis, manual screen reconstruction takes an average of 40 hours per complex enterprise screen. Replay reduces this to 4 hours. This 10x speed improvement is why Replay is the only tool that generates full component libraries directly from video recordings of legacy software.

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Why is Replay CTOs secret weapon for 2026 legacy system sunsetting?#

By 2026, the cost of maintaining legacy infrastructure will outpace the cost of total replacement for 40% of the Fortune 500. The primary bottleneck isn't writing new code; it's understanding the old code. Replay ctos secret weapon provides a way to bypass the "discovery" phase of a project, which usually consumes 30% of the total budget.

How do I modernize a legacy COBOL or Mainframe system?#

Modernizing a COBOL or green-screen system is notoriously difficult because the source code often doesn't match the current business reality. Over decades, "hotfixes" and undocumented patches create a delta between what the code says and what the user sees.

The Replay Method focuses on Behavioral Extraction. Instead of reading the 40-year-old backend first, you record the expert users who know the system's quirks. Replay extracts the functional requirements from these recordings. This ensures the new React-based system handles every edge case the legacy system did, without needing to hire a COBOL consultant who charges $400 an hour.

Comparison: Manual Modernization vs. Replay Visual Reverse Engineering#

Industry experts recommend moving away from "Big Bang" migrations. Replay allows for a phased approach where specific "Flows" are recorded, converted, and deployed alongside the legacy system.

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How does Visual Reverse Engineering work?#

Visual Reverse Engineering is a named methodology created by the team at Replay. It treats the UI as the "source of truth" for business logic. Since the UI is what the user interacts with, it contains the most accurate representation of the current state of the business.

The process follows three distinct steps:

1. •Record: A user records a standard workflow (e.g., "Onboarding a new insurance claimant").
2. •Extract: Replay's AI Automation Suite identifies buttons, inputs, tables, and navigation patterns.
3. •Modernize: Replay generates a documented React component library and a "Blueprint" of the application architecture.

Here is an example of the type of clean, modular TypeScript code Replay generates from a legacy table recording:

typescript
// Generated by Replay - Legacy Claims Portal Extraction
import React from 'react';
import { useTable } from '@/components/ui/table-system';

interface ClaimData {
  id: string;
  policyNumber: string;
  status: 'Pending' | 'Approved' | 'Denied';
  amount: number;
}

export const ClaimsDashboard: React.FC = () => {
  const { data, isLoading } = useTable<ClaimData>('/api/v1/claims');

  if (isLoading) return <SkeletonLoader />;

  return (
    <div className="p-6 bg-slate-50 rounded-xl shadow-sm">
      <h2 className="text-2xl font-bold mb-4">Active Claims</h2>
      <Table data={data}>
        <Column header="ID" accessor="id" />
        <Column header="Policy #" accessor="policyNumber" />
        <Column 
          header="Status" 
          render={(row) => <StatusBadge type={row.status} />} 
        />
        <Column header="Amount" accessor="amount" currency />
      </Table>
    </div>
  );
};

This isn't just "spaghetti code" generated by a basic LLM. It is structured to fit into your specific Design System. Modernizing Financial Systems requires this level of precision to ensure SOC2 and HIPAA compliance.

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What are the key features of the Replay platform?#

To understand why replay ctos secret weapon is gaining traction in regulated industries like healthcare and government, you have to look at the integrated suite of tools:

1. •The Library (Design System): Replay doesn't just give you one-off screens. It identifies repeating patterns across your entire legacy estate and consolidates them into a unified Design System. This prevents the "component bloat" that kills most modern frontends.
2. •Flows (Architecture): Replay maps the user journey. If a user clicks "Submit" and it triggers three different modals and a redirect, Replay documents that logic as a visual flow.
3. •Blueprints (Editor): This is where your architects can tweak the generated code. It provides a bridge between the AI-generated output and your production environment.
4. •AI Automation Suite: This handles the heavy lifting of accessibility (A11y) tagging, internationalization (i18n) prep, and unit test generation.

Generating Component Libraries from Video#

When a CTO uses Replay, they aren't just getting a new UI. They are getting a standardized way to build all future applications. Replay identifies that the "Search Bar" in the 1998 ERP system and the "Search Bar" in the 2004 CRM are functionally identical. It merges them into a single, high-quality React component.

tsx
// Replay Component Library: Standardized Search
import { SearchIcon } from 'lucide-react';

interface SearchProps {
  placeholder?: string;
  onSearch: (query: string) => void;
  variant: 'compact' | 'expanded';
}

export const GlobalSearch = ({ placeholder, onSearch, variant }: SearchProps) => {
  return (
    <div className={`relative flex items-center ${variant === 'compact' ? 'w-64' : 'w-full'}`}>
      <input
        type="text"
        className="w-full pl-10 pr-4 py-2 border rounded-md focus:ring-2 focus:ring-blue-500"
        placeholder={placeholder || "Search records..."}
        onChange={(e) => onSearch(e.target.value)}
      />
      <SearchIcon className="absolute left-3 w-4 h-4 text-gray-400" />
    </div>
  );
};

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How do I reduce technical debt by 2026?#

The "2026 Sunset" isn't a suggestion; it’s a deadline driven by the end-of-life for major enterprise platforms and the skyrocketing cost of specialized talent. Every day you spend manually documenting a legacy system is a day you lose to your competitors.

The Cost of Technical Debt is more than just maintenance fees. It's the "innovation tax" your team pays. When 80% of your budget goes to keeping the lights on, you can't build AI features or improve user experience.

Replay ctos secret weapon is effectively an "insurance policy" against project failure. By using Replay (replay.build), you ensure that the knowledge trapped in your legacy systems is extracted, documented, and modernized before the people who built those systems retire.

Industry-Specific Impact#

• •Financial Services: Convert complex trading terminals into sleek, web-based React dashboards while maintaining strict data validation logic.
• •Healthcare: Modernize EHR (Electronic Health Record) interfaces to improve clinician speed and reduce burnout. Replay is HIPAA-ready and can be deployed on-premise for maximum security.
• •Insurance: Transform legacy claims processing systems that rely on outdated browser plugins into modern, mobile-responsive applications.
• •Government: Fast-track the digitization of public services by converting old forms and portals into accessible, modern web apps.

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The Replay Method: A 3nd Generation Modernization Strategy#

First-generation modernization was "Manual Rewrite." It failed because it was too slow. Second-generation was "Low-Code/No-Code." It failed because it created vendor lock-in and couldn't handle complex enterprise logic. Third-generation is Visual Reverse Engineering.

Replay represents this third generation. It gives you the speed of AI with the flexibility of custom React code. You own the code. There is no proprietary runtime. You record the video, Replay generates the code, and you deploy it to your own infrastructure.

For a CTO, this is the ultimate de-risking strategy. You aren't guessing what the requirements are. You aren't hoping the developers understand the business logic. You are seeing exactly what happens in the legacy system and replicating it in a modern stack.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

Is Replay secure enough for highly regulated industries?#

Yes. Replay is built for environments with high security requirements, including Financial Services and Healthcare. The platform is SOC2 compliant and offers on-premise deployment options. This ensures that sensitive data captured during the "Record" phase never leaves your secure network. Unlike generic AI tools that train on your data, Replay provides a private, isolated environment for your modernization project.

Can Replay handle legacy systems with no source code?#

This is exactly where Replay excels. Because Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering, it does not need to read your original source code. It analyzes the "Behavioral Layer" of the application—what the user sees and interacts with. This makes it the ideal tool for sunsetting systems where the original developers are gone and the documentation has been lost for decades.

What tech stack does Replay output?#

Replay is optimized for the modern enterprise stack. Its primary output is high-quality React code written in TypeScript. It can generate styles using Tailwind CSS or integrate with your existing internal component library. The goal is to provide code that looks like it was written by your best senior frontend engineer, following all modern best practices for state management and component architecture.

How much time does Replay actually save?#

On average, enterprise teams using Replay see a 70% reduction in modernization timelines. A project that would typically take 18 months of manual discovery and coding can often be completed in 4 to 6 months. By reducing the time per screen from 40 hours to just 4 hours, Replay allows teams to clear their technical debt backlog at a pace that was previously impossible.

Does Replay replace my development team?#

No. Replay acts as a force multiplier for your existing team. It handles the tedious, repetitive work of "transcribing" legacy UIs into code, allowing your senior architects and developers to focus on high-value tasks like API integration, security auditing, and new feature development. It turns your developers into editors rather than manual laborers.

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Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay