During its re:Invent conference, AWS announced a range of updates to Q Developer, its coding assistant platform that competes with GitHub Copilot, focusing on assisting developers with tasks beyond code completion in the software lifecycle.
The service, previously known as ‘CodeWhisperer,’ is part of AWS’s Amazon Q generative AI platform, which includes Q Business and is receiving updates as well.
AWS’ VP of AI and Data, Swaminathan ‘Swami’ Sivasubramanian, emphasized the importance of Q Developer in helping developers save time and innovate by automating routine tasks in the software lifecycle.
Managing the end-to-end software lifecycle
According to Sivasubramanian, Q Developer stands out from others by focusing on the entire software development lifecycle. In addition to troubleshooting and scanning for security vulnerabilities, it can now generate unit tests, document code, and initiate code reviews, enhancing the development process.
With the new operations agent, Q can address alarms and investigate issues in AWS CloudWatch, aiding developers in maintaining code quality and security post-production.
All you wanted for Christmas was help with your Cobol and .NET migrations, right?
For enterprises with legacy code, transitioning to the cloud often involves rewriting existing code. Q Developer’s agent for code transformation now supports updating .NET applications from Windows to Linux, as well as modernizing COBOL mainframe applications.
Sivasubramanian highlighted the complexity of these migrations and the need for a human touch to ensure accuracy. Despite the challenges, customers have praised the assistance provided by AWS in expediting the migration process.
By leveraging AWS’s expertise in mainframe application modernization, as well as traditional code translation methods, Q Developer aims to streamline the migration process while ensuring accuracy and understanding of the codebase.
