What are the AMA Dev Tools?

The Application Modernization Accelerator Developer Tools (AMA Dev Tools for short) help developers easily and quickly modernize their enterprise Java applications to use a modern Java runtime, the latest enterprise Java APIs, and current Java SE versions. These IDE plugins and extension (available in Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ IDEA and Eclipse IDE) accompany Application Modernization Accelerator (AMA), helping to reduce friction for developers modernizing Java applications by removing the need to context switch and providing useful insights and automations (through rules and recipes) directly within their working environment/IDE of choice.

AMA Dev Tools are available as a component with IBM Enterprise Application Runtimes (EAR) and with IBM Modernized Runtime Extension for Java (MoRE).

What’s new in AMA Dev Tools 2.0?

In this latest release, we’ve introduced two major capabilities in the IntelliJ IDEA plug-in and the Visual Studio Code extension for AMA Dev Tools. You can use these new capabilities when you analyze an application to modernize it or upgrade the Java version.

• You can now select the Java EE or Jakarta EE source and the Java EE or Jakarta EE target.

• Up until this release “Upgrade Java Version” was limited to Java SE upgrades. However, now this feature has been expanded to “Upgrade Java SE and Java EE/Jakarta EE”, offering support for updating both your Java SE and now also modernizing your Java EE/Jakarta EE versions too.
  

• You can now select the application server source and either Liberty or IBM Modernized Runtime Extension (MoRE) for Java as a target.

• Up until this release, the “Modernize to Liberty” feature was limited to just Liberty as a destination target. Now, this feature includes the ability to modernize to both Liberty and/or MoRE, giving you more choice of where you’d like your applications to be modernized to.

• If you’re not familiar with MoRE, this offering allows businesses to leverage existing investments in the IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment (WAS ND) administrative console by enabling Java 8 and Java 17 (including Jakarta EE 10) deployments to be managed under a single operational model. You can find further information on this offering here.

Additionally, for AMA Dev Tools 2.0 in all three IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, VS Code and Eclipse IDE):

• Translation support for French and Japanese languages has been added

• AMA Dev Tools users can now access the UI for AMA Dev Tools in their IDE in either French or Japanese, making it easier for native French and Japanese speakers to use the tools.
  

• Access keys have been introduced to replace license keys.

• This change, reflected in the latest major release of Application Modernization Accelerator (AMA) 5.0 too, replaces the previously used license keys with access keys. Access keys introduce a guided modernization journey with Trial, PoC, and Full Access as the three options currently available for AMA. To use AMA Dev Tools, you must have entitlement to EAR or MoRE (Full Access), or, if you have evaluation access (PoC) to AMA, you can use also use the AMA Dev Tools for evaluation purposes. For more information, see Licensing for IBM Application Modernization Accelerator Developer Tools.

What does this mean for your team?

Just as before, utilizing both AMA and AMA Dev Tools means you can save time and engineering effort when migrating! Now, with even more choice of destination targets and automated Java EE/Jakarta EE migration support. Organizations who have used AMA and AMA Dev Tools together have saved up to 200 hours (70%) of engineering effort, freeing up development teams and enabling much faster application modernization.

These tools can be easily downloaded via the IDE marketplaces enabling developers to get up and running with them almost immediately! Why not try them out for yourself?

• Visual Studio Code: https://ibm.biz/AMADevToolsVSCode

• IntelliJ IDEA: https://ibm.biz/AMADevToolsIntelliJ

• Eclipse IDE: https://ibm.biz/AMADevToolsEclipse

Or check out our introductory article to the tools on IBM Developer to learn more about the benefits they offer: https://ibm.biz/IntroAMADevTools

Find out more:

To learn more about these new features, see a live demo, and have an opportunity to ask questions, be sure to check out our CAB session scheduled for July 23rd 2026:

https://ibm.biz/AMADevTools2CAB

Additional Resources:

• JSphere Suite Tools Product Page

• IBM Documentation