Migrate Magic / uniPaaS to a Web App | Rescue

To migrate a legacy Magic Software application (eDeveloper, uniPaaS, or Magic xpa) to the web, you do not translate the Magic metadata machine-to-machine. You document the real business logic and data model, migrate your data into a modern open database, and rebuild the application as a standard web app (API backend plus browser front end). This frees you from the Magic runtime and its per-seat licensing, removes the dependency on scarce Magic developers, and gives you software any modern web team can maintain, extend, and integrate.

Why a Magic application is a liability now

Magic (originally Magic, then eDeveloper, later uniPaaS, now Magic xpa) is a proprietary metadata-driven 4GL. Your application is not plain source code you own outright. It is a set of metadata tables interpreted by a closed Magic runtime engine that you must keep licensing.

• Vendor lock-in: the app only runs inside the Magic runtime. No runtime license, no application.
• Ongoing cost: runtime and studio licensing is recurring and rises with users and versions.
• Scarce skills: fluent Magic / uniPaaS developers are rare and getting rarer, so every change is slow and expensive.
• Weak web and mobile reach: the client-server Magic model was never built for a clean browser or phone experience or for modern APIs.
• Hard to integrate: connecting Magic to a modern web service, payment gateway, or partner API is awkward and fragile.

Our migration approach: rebuild the logic, migrate the data

There is no honest one-click converter that turns Magic metadata into clean, maintainable web code. Anything that promises that produces an unreadable mess still chained to a runtime. We do it properly: we read your application as a specification of what the business needs, then rebuild it on an open stack.

• Capture the logic: we map every task, program, data source, and rule in your Magic app into a plain-language specification you can verify.
• Model the data: we design a clean relational schema in a modern open database and move your records across with full validation.
• Rebuild cleanly: we implement the business logic in a standard web backend with a documented API, not inside a proprietary engine.
• Keep what works: screens, workflows, and reports your users rely on are reproduced, then improved where it helps.

If you are weighing a straight rebuild against patching the old system, our web vs installed software comparison lays out the trade-offs plainly.

What you get

• Web and mobile: one responsive application your team opens in a browser on desktop, tablet, or phone, with no runtime to install.
• Real concurrency: 50+ concurrent users working on shared data without the licensing and locking limits of the Magic runtime.
• Role-based access: granular permissions so each role sees and edits only what it should.
• Backups and recovery: automated database backups and a clear restore path, so your data is safe.
• Open, integrable code: a documented API so you can connect accounting, logistics, e-commerce, or partner systems.

Many Magic apps are data-heavy ERP or operations systems. If yours is one of those, our ERP software guide shows how we structure the rebuild, and we also build fully custom software around your exact process.

How the project runs

• Audit: we inventory your Magic programs, data sources, and rules and agree the scope and priority modules.
• Rebuild: we implement the business logic on a modern web stack in reviewable increments, so you see working screens early.
• Data migration: we move your data into the new database with validation and a side-by-side check against the old system.
• Training and cutover: we train your team, run a parallel period, then switch over with support on hand.

Delivery is remote with English-language support throughout. We are a focused software team, not a reseller, and we do not make claims we cannot back up. You can read the full picture on our software rescue hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we have to keep paying for the Magic runtime after migration?

No. Once the application is rebuilt on an open web stack, it no longer runs inside the Magic engine, so the recurring runtime and studio licensing goes away.

Will our business rules and workflows survive the move?

Yes. We capture every rule and workflow as a verifiable specification first, then reproduce it in the new app. Nothing is guessed, and you confirm the behaviour before cutover.

Can we keep our existing data?

Yes. All of your records are migrated into the new modern database with validation and a side-by-side comparison, so you start the new system with your full history intact.

How long does a Magic to web migration take?

It depends on how many programs and data sources your app has. We scope that during the audit and deliver in increments, so core modules can go live well before the whole system is finished.