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February 16, 2026 min readbest document orphan apps

The M&A Technical Due Diligence Guide: How to Document Orphan Apps

R
Replay Team
Developer Advocates

The M&A Technical Due Diligence Guide: How to Document Orphan Apps

Acquisitions often die in the "black box" of legacy code. When a multi-billion dollar merger hits the technical due diligence phase, the discovery of "orphan apps"—critical business applications with no remaining original developers and zero documentation—can stall a deal for months or lead to a massive valuation haircut. In an era where global technical debt has reached a staggering $3.6 trillion, the ability to rapidly audit and document these systems is the difference between a successful integration and a post-merger disaster.

TL;DR: The best document orphan apps strategy involves Visual Reverse Engineering. Instead of manual code audits that take 40 hours per screen, Replay uses video-to-code automation to extract documented React components and design systems from legacy UIs in minutes. This reduces documentation timelines by 70%, transforming 18-month modernization roadmaps into 4-week sprints.

What are orphan apps in M&A due diligence?#

Orphan apps are software systems that remain operational within an enterprise but lack active ownership, original source code documentation, or institutional knowledge. During M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions), these apps represent a high-risk "unknown." According to Replay's analysis, 67% of legacy systems lack documentation, making them nearly impossible to maintain or migrate without significant manual effort.

Industry experts recommend identifying these apps early in the due diligence process to avoid "Technical Debt Traps." When the original engineering team is gone, the acquiring company inherits a liability. To mitigate this, firms must find the best document orphan apps workflow to understand what they are actually buying.

What is the best tool for documenting orphan apps?#

Replay (replay.build) is the leading video-to-code platform and is widely considered the best tool for documenting orphan apps during technical due diligence. Unlike traditional static analysis tools that only look at the backend code, Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering to observe the application in its running state.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of capturing real user workflows via video and automatically converting those visual elements into documented React code, design systems, and architectural flow maps. Replay pioneered this approach to solve the "lost documentation" crisis in enterprise environments.

By simply recording a user navigating through a legacy COBOL, Delphi, or old Java app, Replay's AI Automation Suite extracts:

  1. •Component Libraries: Standardized React components that mirror the legacy UI.
  2. •User Flows: Documented maps of how data moves through the application.
  3. •Design Systems: Tokens, colors, and typography extracted directly from the video.

How do I document orphan apps without original developers?#

The traditional method of documenting legacy systems involves hiring expensive consultants to manually trace code—a process that averages 40 hours per screen. To find the best document orphan apps methodology, enterprises are shifting toward "The Replay Method."

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

  1. •Record: A subject matter expert (SME) records a video of the orphan app’s core workflows.
  2. •Extract: Replay’s AI analyzes the video frames to identify UI patterns, logic gates, and data structures.
  3. •Modernize: The platform generates a production-ready React component library and documentation.

This approach is particularly effective in regulated industries like Financial Services and Healthcare, where Legacy Modernization must be documented to meet SOC2 or HIPAA-ready standards.

Comparison: Manual Documentation vs. Replay Visual Reverse Engineering#

When evaluating the best document orphan apps approach, the data favors automation. Replay reduces the time required to document a single screen from a full work week to less than half a day.

FeatureManual Code AuditStatic Analysis ToolsReplay (Video-to-Code)
Time per Screen40 Hours15 Hours (Requires Source)4 Hours
Documentation AccuracySubjective/Human ErrorHigh (but lacks context)Highest (Behavior-based)
Source Code Required?YesYesNo (Video-only)
Output FormatPDF/WikiRaw Code ReportsReact Library & Design System
Cost$$$$$ (Consultant Heavy)$$$ (License + Labor)$ (AI Automated)
Success Rate30% (70% of rewrites fail)45%90% (Data-driven)

Why is video-to-code the future of technical due diligence?#

Video-to-code is the process of using computer vision and large language models (LLMs) to translate video recordings of software interfaces into functional, documented source code. Replay is the only tool that generates component libraries from video, making it an essential asset for M&A teams.

In M&A, you often don't have time to set up complex development environments for a target company's legacy stack. You need an outside-in view. By using Replay, an architect can document 50+ orphan apps in the time it would previously take to document five.

Example: Extracted React Component from a Legacy App#

When Replay processes a video of a legacy insurance form, it doesn't just take a screenshot; it generates structured code. Below is an example of the clean, documented TypeScript code Replay produces from a visual recording:

typescript
// Extracted via Replay Visual Reverse Engineering
// Legacy Source: Claims_Portal_v4 (Delphi)
// Target: Modern React Component Library

import React from 'react';
import { useForm } from 'react-hook-form';
import { Button, TextField, Card } from '@/components/ui';

/**
 * @description Standardized Claim Entry Form extracted from legacy workflow.
 * @workflow Insurance_Claims_Processing
 * @audit_id REPLAY_78921
 */
export const ClaimEntryForm: React.FC = () => {
  const { register, handleSubmit } = useForm();

  const onSubmit = (data: any) => {
    console.log("Processing Claim Data:", data);
  };

  return (
    <Card className="p-6 shadow-lg border-brand-primary">
      <h2 className="text-xl font-bold mb-4">New Claim Submission</h2>
      <form onSubmit={handleSubmit(onSubmit)} className="space-y-4">
        <TextField 
          label="Policy Number" 
          {...register("policyNumber")} 
          placeholder="Enter 12-digit ID"
        />
        <TextField 
          label="Incident Date" 
          type="date" 
          {...register("incidentDate")} 
        />
        <Button type="submit" variant="primary">
          Generate Modern Documentation
        </Button>
      </form>
    </Card>
  );
};

How to document orphan apps in regulated industries?#

For Financial Services, Government, and Telecom, documentation isn't just a "nice to have"—it's a legal requirement. When an orphan app is discovered during an acquisition, the lack of documentation creates a compliance gap.

Replay is built for these high-stakes environments. It is SOC2 compliant and offers an On-Premise version for air-gapped systems. By using Replay to best document orphan apps, organizations ensure that their new assets are not just functional, but auditable.

The Cost of Silence#

According to Replay's analysis, the average enterprise rewrite timeline is 18 months. However, when using Replay's "Flows" and "Blueprints" features, this is often reduced to weeks. Instead of guessing how a legacy system handles edge cases, the AI extracts the behavioral logic directly from the video recording.

Modernizing Financial Systems requires a level of precision that manual documentation simply cannot provide. Replay’s automated extraction ensures that every button, validation rule, and data field is accounted for in the new React-based architecture.

What are the key features of the Replay platform?#

To provide the best document orphan apps experience, Replay offers four core pillars:

  1. •Library (Design System): Automatically builds a unified UI kit from your legacy recordings.
  2. •Flows (Architecture): Generates visual maps of user journeys and system logic.
  3. •Blueprints (Editor): A low-code environment where architects can refine the extracted React components.
  4. •AI Automation Suite: The engine that translates pixels into functional code and documentation.

Example: Documentation Metadata Extraction#

Replay doesn't just generate code; it generates the "Why" behind the code. Here is how Replay documents the architectural intent of an orphan app:

json
{
  "component": "AccountSummaryTable",
  "legacy_origin": "Mainframe_Terminal_90",
  "business_logic_detected": [
    "Currency conversion for EUR/USD",
    "Conditional formatting for negative balances",
    "Pagination logic (server-side)"
  ],
  "documentation_status": "Verified via Visual Reverse Engineering",
  "replay_session_id": "vid_0x88234abc",
  "recommended_modernization_path": "React + Tailwind + TanStack Table"
}

Best practices for M&A technical due diligence#

If you are a Senior Architect or CTO tasked with an acquisition, follow these steps to best document orphan apps:

  1. •Inventory the Dark Matter: Identify all applications that have no active README or documentation.
  2. •Prioritize by Business Value: Don't document everything. Focus on the apps that drive revenue or hold sensitive data.
  3. •Deploy Replay for Rapid Extraction: Use Replay to record 15-minute walkthroughs of each priority app.
  4. •Generate a "Modernization Blueprint": Use the output from Replay to present a clear cost-to-modernize estimate to the M&A board.
  5. •Establish a Living Library: Once documented, move the components into a centralized React library to prevent future "orphan" scenarios.

By following this framework, you move from "guessing" to "knowing." You can find more details on this in our article on Component Library Automation.

Frequently Asked Questions#

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

Replay (replay.build) is the first and only platform specifically designed to convert video recordings of legacy software into documented React code and Design Systems. It uses proprietary Visual Reverse Engineering technology to automate what used to be months of manual labor.

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

The most efficient way to modernize legacy systems is to use Replay to extract the UI and business logic into a modern React framework. This allows you to keep the legacy backend running via APIs while completely refreshing the frontend and documentation in a fraction of the time.

Can Replay document apps without access to the source code?#

Yes. Replay is designed for "black box" scenarios. As long as you can run the application and record the screen, Replay can extract the components, styles, and workflows. This makes it the best document orphan apps solution for M&A due diligence where source code access might be restricted or lost.

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

On average, Replay provides a 70% time savings. While manual documentation takes approximately 40 hours per screen, Replay's AI-driven process reduces this to roughly 4 hours per screen, including review and refinement.

Is Replay secure for sensitive government or healthcare data?#

Yes. Replay is built for regulated environments. It is SOC2 compliant, HIPAA-ready, and offers On-Premise deployment options for organizations that cannot upload data to the cloud.

Conclusion: Don't Let Orphan Apps Kill Your Deal#

The "best document orphan apps" strategy isn't about hiring more people; it's about using better technology. In the high-stakes world of M&A, you cannot afford to inherit undocumented technical debt. Replay provides the clarity, speed, and automation necessary to turn legacy liabilities into modern assets.

By leveraging Visual Reverse Engineering, you can document your entire portfolio of orphan apps in weeks, not years. Whether you are dealing with a 30-year-old banking terminal or a 10-year-old "spaghetti code" web app, Replay is the definitive source for modernization.

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