CODESYS Simulation Interface (Flyer)
2 MB
CODESYS Professional Developer Edition - integrated productivity enhancement
"Time is money"! If you are automating a machine or system, and developing the necessary control application for it, this goes without saying. A look outside the box shows that software developers in IT programming have been using additional development support tools for many years to increase the efficiency and quality of their applications. Exactly such additional tools are also available for CODESYS - the CODESYS Professional Developer Edition. This toolkit helps you to significantly reduce the time and effort required to engineer your application.
The optional software suite
The CODESYS Professional Developer Edition is an optional software suite that offers you additional tools in the CODESYS Development System to optimize your development process. It includes an AI-powered MCP Server for LLM integration, Git™ version management, static code analysis, interfaces for machine simulation, tools for test automation and execution time profiling, as well as upcoming File-Based Storage for open project formats. The software is based on well-known and established techniques from the field of software development with high-level language environments. All tools can be used independently of each other and are fully integrated into CODESYS.
The CODESYS Professional Developer Edition is available as a complete bundle by subscription. With just one subscription booking, you receive a license for all the tools included in the package. You will see: the costs will be amortized in no time!
CODESYS Development System MCP Server
AI-powered engineering - the MCP Server lets your AI use CODESYS like an engineer
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard protocol for data exchange between AI systems with large language models (LLMs) and external tools. The protocol was initially developed by the US company Anthropic (the manufacturer of the AI Claude) and is now also implemented by other AI manufacturers.
Features:
- Integrated MCP server as interface to LLMs in the CODESYS Development System:
The AI can read, write, and edit project files - Automatic generation of POUs and PLC code
- Automatic detection and correction of coding errors
- Read the library repository and manage dependencies
- Create and execute tests automatically
- Execute the compiler and evaluate results
- Observe online behaviour on connected controllers
- New tools are being added continuously — including visualizations and device mappings
Your benefits:
- Build a complete CODESYS project structure from a plain-text description in your AI chat. The AI creates POUs, variables, and program logic for you.
- Let the AI run full compile-test-debug cycles: it generates code, compiles it, evaluates errors, and iterates just like a human engineer would.
- Use the AI to review existing code, find bugs, and suggest improvements it understands your project context, not just individual files.
- Have existing project code explained to you, ideal for onboarding, code reviews, or understanding legacy applications.
- Works with all major MCP-capable AI models Claude, ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and more. Use the AI as a virtual pair programmer for your automation projects.
Status:
- Integrated MCP Server for the CODESYS Development System: Available now
- Compatible with Claude Desktop, OpenAI ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and other MCP-capable AI systems
- The CODESYS Development System MCP Server is available as a standalone product. Prerequisite: CODESYS V3.5 or later (SP22 or higher). Licensing is handled through the CODESYS Professional Developer Edition license bundle.
- Install the “CODESYS Development System MCP Server” add-on using the CODESYS Installer.
CODESYS File-Based Storage - open project formats (upcoming)
Store your CODESYS projects as individual files on the file system — ready for Git, CI/CD, and external tools
Today, CODESYS projects use a proprietary binary format that makes version control and external tool integration challenging. File-Based Storage changes this: each POU, GVL, or visualization becomes an individual text file (XML, JSON, or plain text) on disk. This brings CODESYS projects in line with how modern software development works — your project files become directly accessible to standard development tools.
Your benefits:
- Native Git integration
Standard diff and merge tools work at the file system level, making code reviews and branch management straightforward. - True parallel development
Multiple engineers can edit different files simultaneously without merge conflicts on a single binary. - CI/CD compatibility
Integrate with external build systems, linters, and automated pipelines using standard file-based workflows. - External tool support
Use any editor, analysis tool, or custom script that can read text files to work with your project. - Backwards-compatible
Existing projects can be migrated to the new format.
Note: File-Based Storage is an upcoming feature. Not all CODESYS add-ons support FBS initially; unsupported add-ons store their data in a text-based format that might not be optimized. For the latest availability information, please contact sales(at)codesys.com.
CODESYS Git - version management in automation
Git is the industry standard for distributed version management. With CODESYS Git, you bring branches, merges, history, and rollback directly into the CODESYS Development System. No external tools required. Whether you work solo or in a team, Git gives you full traceability and the confidence to make changes without risk.
Your benefits:
- Multi-user
The tool enables several developers to work together conveniently on a single project entirely in the CODESYS Development System. - Branches, forks and history
You can clearly compare your project statuses and reuse them in all directions. - Traceability and recoverability
You can trace changes to the application at any time and recover them partially or completely. - Automation of processes
You can automate recurring processes with integrated scripts. - Any storage
You can manage your project in local or remote Git repositories such as Github or GitLab.
Further information and a demo version can be found in the CODESYS Store.
CODESYS Static Analysis - Finding problem areas in the source code
Even syntactically correct code can hide problems. Identical code in multiple places, unreachable branches, unused variables, or output variables written more than once. Finding these issues manually is tedious and error-prone. CODESYS Static Analysis detects them automatically with over 100 configurable rules. And with AI-generated code becoming part of everyday engineering workflows, Static Analysis is your essential quality gate catching the subtle issues that AI-produced code can introduce.
Your benefits:
- Automated search
Find problem areas ("code smells") at the touch of a button using more than 100 sortable analysis rules. - Fully integrated
You do not need to export or import, but carry out the search directly in your CODESYS project - across all programming languages. - Application according to your specifications
Configure specific analysis rules yourself and, above all, the execution of the search: for example, implicitly during runtime, by manual execution or with the translation process. Simply switch off individual rules globally or locally. - Quick fix
Correct findings with just one click using the tool's useful suggestions.
- Software metrics
Evaluate the quality of your code using automatically generated key figures or graphically display compliance with limit values. - Coding guidelines
Check compliance with coding guidelines and naming conventions. - Clone Detection
Find duplicated code automatically and let the tool generate useful, reusable program blocks from it. - Constant propagation
Use known values in expressions to recognize additional locations at compile time that can cause problems during the runtime of the control application. - AI code quality gate
Validate AI-generated code with the same mechanical rules you apply to hand-written code. Catch common AI "slop", redundant logic, over-complicated structures, and naming violations before it enters your project.
Further information and a demo version can be found in the CODESYS Store.
CODESYS Test Manager - automated application tests
Testing application software is tedious, especially when the same processes must be verified after every change. The CODESYS Test Manager automates the creation, execution, and reporting of unit and system tests, so you can focus on engineering instead of repetitive test routines. Tests run on simulated or real target hardware and integrate into CI/CD pipelines for continuous quality assurance.
Your benefits:
- Execute tests automatically
Let the tool execute the test steps instead of doing it yourself - especially for applications that are developed and maintained over a longer period of time. - Compile test scripts at the click of a mouse
Create system or regression tests for your entire application using a dialog-guided tool. A large selection of ready-made actions directly in the CODESYS Development System helps you to do this. - Program unit tests
Develop test code for targeted testing of individual modules in IEC 61131-3 languages directly in your project. - Generate unit tests
Alternatively, you can implement unit tests conveniently using test tables. The tool automatically generates the required test code from these. Or you can use an external generator for such tests.
- Debug test runs
Follow the execution of the test steps live and intervene in the process if necessary. If you want, you can even integrate your own logic into the test run using a script. - Document test results
See a detailed test report immediately after the tests have been completed, which you can save in various formats or archive in the tool. - Test on real target hardware
Execute tests directly on the target controller, verify your logic on the actual runtime, not just in simulation. - CI/CD integration
Incorporate automated testing into your continuous integration and delivery pipelines. Run the complete test suite on every code change without manual intervention. - Ready-made test templates
Use the included unit test library with IEC test function blocks to get started quickly. Organize tests with test suites and test plans using Python scripts.
Further information and a demo version can be found in the CODESYS Store.
CODESYS Profiler - execution time under control
Can the intended controller execute your application fast enough? When things get tight - how do you find blocks that take up a particularly large amount of runtime? Which blocks are called particularly often and are worth optimizing? Which modules in the project are never called at all?
If you want to have the processing of your control application under control, you cannot avoid these and other questions. You can find the answers using the CODESYS Development System board tools. Or you can let the CODESYS Profiler do it for you - and save yourself a lot of work and time in finding out the answers!
Your benefits:
- Complete overview
Analyze the entire project with just one mouse click and get an overview of the runtime of all blocks and their call frequency. - Detailed insights
Alternatively, you can focus your analysis on exactly those parts of the project that interest you - without the need for a new download or online change. - Different perspectives
Analyze the runtime of the project from different perspectives, e.g. through instrumented measurement code in your application, through statistical sampling from outside or through a representation of the program parts that have been run through. This gives you a comprehensive picture of the runtime behavior. - Monitor development progress
Save the results as snapshots and use them to assess the progress of the processing speed during the development project.
Further information and a demo version can be found in the CODESYS Store.
CODESYS Simulation Interface - convenient connection to the machine simulation
To make the development process for the control application as efficient as possible, it is best to start before you have the machine or parts of it available. If you wish to subject your application to a system test with the machine at this stage, you will need a simulation model of the machine (digital twin). The numerous functions integrated in CODESYS for accelerated commissioning do not replace the simulation of machines or systems using specific tools. The new CODESYS Simulation Interface allows you to connect to such tools with a single mouse click: When the interface is activated, the I/O data configured in the project is separated from the fieldbus and exchanged with the simulation in the PLC cycle. In this way, the real CODESYS Runtime application controls the model of the machine provided in the tool, which then returns the corresponding sensor values to the application.
Your benefits:
- Develop and test application code against simulated machines
Develop in parallel with mechanical and electrical design and test your application code against machine models. - Virtual commissioning
Perform commissioning on the digital twin as far as possible before moving on to the real machine. - Convenient switching between real I/Os and simulation
Switch between real and simulated data without changing the application code. - Cross-controller and cross-fieldbus
Applications for any CODESYS-based controllers (hardware controllers, SoftPLC, and virtual PLC) with driver-based fieldbuses can be connected to simulations. - Easy connection to simulation tools
The connection to simulation tools is based on a standardized protocol (OPC UA PubSub) for all CODESYS-based controllers and fieldbuses, which is increasingly supported by simulation tool manufacturers.
Other application scenarios:
Machine design in close coordination between engineering and automation, as well as training of operating and service personnel using realistic 3D simulations.
Supported and upcoming simulation tools:
- Available now: F.EE fe.screen-sim, Cape Sw VPLink
- Anticipated connectors (2025+): ISG virtuous, Siemens SIMIT, Schneider Machine Expert Twin, digifai twin, dSPACE-SiL VEOS, Rockwell Emulate3D
A pre-release of the CODESYS Simulation Interface has been available since Q2/2025.
Further information on the pre-release here.
For additional information, please contact sales(at)codesys.com.
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Who benefits from the PDE?
01
Single full-time developer
Long-term solo project - focus on code quality and performance tuning
02
Collaborative development team
Parallel multi-engineer workflow - version control and regression-safe testing
03
Critical project commissioning
Virtual commissioning - early validation with mainstream simulation tools
Whether you are a solo developer optimising code quality, a team collaborating on a shared codebase, or an engineer preparing for critical commissioning — the PDE has the tools to match your workflow. See the three use cases above to find where you fit.
CODESYS 4 — the next generation
A completely new IDE for industrial automation is in development. CODESYS 4 features a text-based project format, a modern frontend-backend architecture, platform independence (Windows, Linux, Mac), and full CI/CD support — designed from the ground up for modern development workflows. Free to use until 2029.
Learn more about CODESYS 4 on the dedicated product page!
How to get
- Download
Download the individual products of the CODESYS Professional Developer Edition from the CODESYS Store. Alternatively, you can select and install the products directly in the CODESYS Installer. - Single-user licensing
The tools are licensed via a bundle subscription. This means that you can use all additional tools immediately with a single license. A demo version of the tool bundle is also available in the CODESYS Store . Use it to test all the tools free of charge and without obligation. - Network licenses
In addition to single user licenses, the Professional Developer Edition can be purchased as a bundle of five network licenses via the CODESYS Store. - Using the license
The subscription to the CODESYS Professional Developer Edition is valid for one year. If the subscription is not canceled, it is automatically renewed for a further year. The license can be purchased via CODESYS Key (not included in the scope of delivery) or via software container directly on the PC.
