GitHub is one of the leading collaboration platforms for modern software teams, providing Git‑based version control, streamlined code review, automations (CI/CD), and security tooling.
Integrating GitHub into your IBM i workflow connects traditional IBM i development with contemporary engineering practices—without compromising the reliability IBM i is known for.
Why pair GitHub with IBM i?
· Version control you can trust. Git tracks every change, by whom and when, and lets you revert confidently.
· High‑quality collaboration. Pull requests, reviews, and protected branches improve quality and reduce conflicts.
· Built‑in security. GitHub code scanning and dependency alerts help surface issues early.
· Automation with CI/CD. GitHub Actions can build, test, and deploy IBM i artifacts to increase speed and consistency.
Prefer GitLab or another Git hosting platform? The core concepts are identical.
Pre-requisites
· A GitHub account with organization/repository access.
· IBM i Access Client Solutions (ACS) for package management.
· Shell access on IBM i.
Getting Started: Setting up Git on IBM i
Before you begin, you need to have Git installed on your IBM i system and a GitHub account.
1. Step-by-step installation:
· Open Access Client Solutions (ACS): Go to the "Tools" option and select "Open-Source Package Management."
· Log In: Use your IBM i credentials to log in.
· Install Git: In the "Available packages" window, search for "git" and click "Install."
· Run Qshell: After installation, run the command CALL QP2TERM to open the Qshell interface.
· Set the Path: To make Git commands available permanently, add the Git bin directory to your path. Run the following command:
echo 'PATH=/QOpenSys/pkgs/bin: $PATH'>> $HOME/. profile && echo 'export PATH'>> $HOME/. Profile
· If you do not have a user home directory, create one first by running:
mkdir /home/USERNAME && touch /home/USERNAME/.profile.
· Verify Installation: Restart your session, run CALL QP2TERM again, and then type git -version to confirm Git is installed correctly.
2. Generating an SSH Key
For secure authentication with GitHub, you need to generate an SSH key pair.
· Generate the Key: Run the following command, replacing the email with your own:
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 2048 -C "email@example.com"
· View the Key: Display your public key by running:
cat /home/user/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
· Add Key to GitHub: Copy the key from the output.
Log in to your GitHub account, go to "Settings," then "SSH & GPG keys." Click "New SSH key," paste the key you copied, and give it a descriptive name.
· Start SSH Agent: In your Qshell session, start the SSH agent with eval "$(ssh-agent -s)" and add your key to it with ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa.
· Add GitHub to Known Hosts: To prevent security warnings, add GitHub to your list of known hosts by running:
ssh-keyscan github.com >> ~/.ssh/known_hosts
3. Cloning and Working with a GitHub Repository
Now you can start working with a repository. You can use your existing repository on GitHub or create a new one.
· Clone the Repository: On GitHub, find the repository you want to use, click on the "Code" button, and copy the SSH path. Then, in your IBM i Qshell, run the command:
git clone <PATH>.
This will create a local copy of the repository on your IBM i system.
· Copy Your Code: Use the CPYTOSTMF command to copy your IBM i source member (your code file) into the cloned repository directory. For example:
CPYTOSTMF FROMMBR('/QSYS.LIB/YOURLIB.LIB/YOURFILE.FILE/YOURMEMBER.MBR')
TOSTMF('YOUR_DIRECTORY_PATH/YOUR_CODE_FILE.txt') STMFOPT(*REPLACE) DBFCCSID(*FILE)
STMFCCSID(1252) ENDLINFMT(*LF) AUT(*DFT)
4. Add, Commit, and Push: In the Qshell, navigate to your repository's directory.
· git add . to stage all changes.
· git commit -m "Your commit message" to save the changes.
· git push to upload your changes to GitHub.
5. Pulling Changes from GitHub
If others have made changes on GitHub, you can pull them down to your IBM i system.
· Pull Changes: In your Qshell, simply run the command git pull. This downloads the latest changes from the GitHub repository.
· Copy Back to IBM i: Use the CPYFRMSTMF command to copy the updated file from your Git directory back into your IBM i source member.
CPYFRMSTMF FROMSTMF('YOUR_DIRECTORY_PATH/YOUR_CODE_FILE.txt')
TOMBR('/QSYS.LIB/YOURLIB.LIB/YOURFILE.FILE/YOURMEMBER.MBR') MBROPT(*REPLACE)
ENDLINFMT(*LF)
By following these steps, you can start using GitHub to manage your IBM i code, enabling a more collaborative and efficient development process.
Conclusion
Bringing GitHub into your IBM i ecosystem modernizes collaboration, governance, and delivery—without sacrificing the platform’s strengths. Whether you are building net‑new applications or incrementally modernizing, adopting Git‑based workflows (with SSH auth, UTF‑8 files, and CI/CD) will help your teams move faster with confidence.