UPDATED 11/18/2025 VS Code for IBM i offers an alternative to RDi, the fee-based graphical IDE for IBM i, and SEU, the native green-screen IDE. It’s faster than RDi and easier to learn than either RDi or SEU. It supports development in RPGLE, COBOL, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Node.js, etc.
You are invited to join Alan Seiden on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, as he presents Dr. Alan’s IBM i Web Checkup to the OMNI User Group. With an option to attend via Zoom or in person at Papa Passero’s in Westmont IL, you can join from virtually anywhere.
“The order entry app is hanging again!” Nobody wins when your system is slow or stuck. Find out how the best IBM i teams keep their users happy and productive with snappy PHP applications. In this video, Alan shares tips to optimize PHP websites and APIs for improved speed and stability. He explains why newer PHP versions are inherently faster and offer smoother migrations. He also details how to use Apache’s mod_deflate, look for network issues and bots, manage session clean-up, prepare for business growth, improve PHP Db2 performance, profile your application, and much more.
UPDATE: CommunityPlus+ PHP is now known as Seiden PHP. PHP 7.3 entered end of life today and will no longer receive fixes—including security fixes. If you’re still running applications on PHP 5.4, 5.6 or 7.3 (run php -v to check), it’s time to schedule a free upgrade assessment. PHP upgrades are easier now, thanks to IBM’s adoption of RPM-based open source packages. Over the past year, our clients have reported smooth and even enjoyable migrations to CommunityPlus+ PHP 7.4 and 8.0.
UPDATE: CommunityPlus+ PHP is now known as Seiden PHP. A modest but powerful utility “stole the show” during last week’s Lunch & Learn with Alan Seiden and Paul Tuohy. Packaged with CommunityPlus+ PHP, Seiden Group’s siteadd creates an Apache HTTP instance and a FastCGI configuration customized for your needs. In seconds, you’ll be able to launch a sample PHP page to test your new web instance.
IBM i developers now have an alternative to proprietary data visualization tools to pinpoint potential bottlenecks in PHP, Python, and Node.js code. QCachegrind, an open source tool developed by KDE, turns raw application profiling data into meaningful graphs and visualizations that highlight a program’s most time-consuming functions.
UPDATE: CommunityPlus+ PHP is now known as Seiden PHP. Recently Alan presented a session on the state of PHP on IBM i at the RPG & DB2 Summit, including community PHP and our CommunityPlus+ PHP offering. The session recording below also shows a live demo of GRAR’s award-winning website, migrated to CommunityPlus+ PHP with excellent results.
UPDATE: Community PHP is now known as Seiden PHP. Collaboration Includes Enhanced PHP RPMs and Support Services Seiden Group is delighted to announce an exclusive partnership with Chubu System Co., Ltd. (CSC) that brings business-ready Community PHP for IBM i to organizations in Japan. The joint service offering, known as CS^2, includes migration to Community PHP, access to an enhanced, tested repository of PHP RPMs, and responsive technical support.
UPDATE: CommunityPlus+ PHP is now known as Seiden PHP. Considering a move to RPM-based Community PHP? You’ll need the free, open source PHP Toolkit to connect your PHP applications to resources on your IBM i. Co-developed by Alan Seiden and maintained by the IBM i community, the toolkit is also known as the XML Toolkit. That’s because the PHP front end and the XMLSERVICE RPG back end communicate via XML.
UPDATE: CommunityPlus+ PHP is now known as Seiden PHP. Just one year away from end-of-life for no-charge Zend Server “Basic”—and six months after the release of Community PHP—many IBM i shops face an important decision: “Do we upgrade to a paid Zend Server license, or do we migrate to RPM-based PHP?” At a recent MAGiC User Group webinar, Alan Seiden and Richard Schoen teamed up to present a tutorial and demo on how to get started with Community “RPM” PHP, sharing several tips picked up during client migrations.