Axal

Axal is an advanced, AI-powered platform specifically engineered to address one of the most significant challenges in software development: modernizing legacy systems. Backed by the prestigious accelerator Y Combinator, Axal provides a revolutionary approach to understanding complex, poorly documented, or outdated codebases. By leveraging artificial intelligence, the tool automates the painstaking process of code discovery, extracting precise functional requirements, user stories, and critical business logic directly from the source code. This capability can reduce the initial discovery and analysis phase by up to 85%, empowering development teams to plan and execute system rewrites and migrations with unprecedented speed, accuracy, and confidence.

The core mission of Axal is to de-risk and accelerate digital transformation initiatives. Many projects stall or fail due to an incomplete understanding of the existing system's functionalities. Axal mitigates this risk by creating a clear, comprehensive, and actionable map of what the code does, how it supports user actions, and what components are critical, redundant, or problematic. This allows teams to make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively, and ensure that no essential features are lost during the modernization process.

How to use Axal

Axal streamlines the complex process of code analysis into a simple, three-step workflow designed for efficiency and collaboration:

1. Input Codebase: The first step is to provide Axal with access to your legacy codebase. The platform securely connects to your repository to begin its analysis.
2. Customize Your Template: Once the code is ingested, you can choose how to view the extracted insights. Axal offers a range of pre-made templates designed for common documentation needs, such as functional requirements documents. For more specific requirements, you can request custom templates tailored to your team's unique modernization goals.
3. View, Update, and Export Results: The platform presents the analysis in a collaborative, real-time interface. Team members can view the generated requirements and user stories, make necessary edits or annotations, and add contributors to the project. When ready, the complete analysis can be exported into your preferred format for easy sharing with stakeholders, project managers, or other teams.

Core Features of Axal

• AI-Powered Code Discovery: Automatically scans any legacy codebase to extract and document critical business logic and system functionalities. Each extracted requirement is tied directly to the specific code block responsible for it.
• User Story Generation: Intelligently maps user actions to the underlying code to generate clear, concise user stories. This helps product and development teams prioritize features and plan development sprints effectively.
• Modernization Scoping: Identifies exactly what needs to change during a rewrite. The analysis pinpoints broken or dead code, areas of vendor lock-in, and dependencies, enabling accurate project scoping and resource planning.
• Customizable Templates and Exports: Offers a flexible system of templates to visualize the analysis. Users can export the findings into various compliant formats, facilitating seamless communication with all stakeholders.
• Collaborative Environment: Features a real-time, editable interface where teams can work together to refine the AI-generated documentation before finalizing and exporting it.
• Dedicated Enterprise Support: Provides comprehensive support, including 7-day-a-week assistance, custom Slack channels for direct communication, and specialized Go-To-Market (GTM) support for System Integrator partners.

Use Cases for Axal

Axal is invaluable for any organization facing the challenge of dealing with legacy software. Key use cases include:

• Large-Scale System Modernization: As demonstrated by a global logistics firm that used Axal to understand a 500,000-line .NET codebase, enabling a complete rewrite in just 60 days.
• Pre-Migration Assessment: Teams can conduct a thorough analysis of a system before a cloud migration or platform change to accurately estimate effort, identify risks, and ensure a smooth transition.
• Developer Onboarding: New engineers can quickly get up to speed on a complex, undocumented system by reviewing the clear, structured documentation generated by Axal, significantly reducing ramp-up time.
• Due Diligence for Mergers & Acquisitions: Companies can use Axal to rapidly assess the technological assets and liabilities of a target company's software.

Advantages of Axal

The primary advantage of Axal is its ability to dramatically accelerate and de-risk modernization projects. Key benefits include:

• Massive Time Savings: Reduces the discovery phase from months to a matter of hours or days.
• Enhanced Accuracy: AI-driven analysis provides an objective and precise understanding of the codebase, free from human bias or oversight.
• Improved Planning and Prioritization: With clear requirements and user stories, teams can build better roadmaps and ensure they are working on the most impactful features.
• Reduced Project Risk: Early identification of dead code, dependencies, and other issues prevents costly surprises during development.
• Fosters Collaboration: Provides a single source of truth that aligns technical teams, product managers, and business stakeholders.

Pricing and Plans

Axal offers a tiered pricing structure tailored to different needs:

• Individual Scan (Base Model): An entry-level plan designed for a single user to perform a basic scan using standard templates. Ideal for individuals or small-scale assessments.
• Pro Scan (Customization for Each Scan): Aimed at teams of up to 20 users, this plan includes access to custom templates, allowing for more tailored and in-depth analysis.
• Enterprise (GTM Support + Customization): The most comprehensive plan for large organizations with up to 200 users. It includes all features, full customization options, dedicated GTM support for partners, and premium benefits. Interested parties should contact Axal's support for a custom quote.