Build .NET applications Connected to your IBM i
With NTi Data Provider,
access your DB2 for i data and IBM i resources from .NET
to build modern, cross-platform applications.
.NET for applications
The current standard for building efficiently,
on any platform.
Free and open source
.NET is a free, open-source project developed and maintained on GitHub, the home for millions of developers who want to build great things together.
Fast and cross-platform
.NET performs faster than any other popular framework. You can write, run, and build on multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Modern and productive
.NET helps you build apps for web, mobile, desktop, cloud applications and more. With its large supportive ecosystem and powerful tooling, it is the most productive platform for developers.
The power of .NET for your IBM i
Where companies used to juggle multiple technologies,
.NET brings everything together in a single environment.
Web
Build web applications and services for macOS, Windows, Linux, or Docker.
Mobile
Use a single codebase to build native apps for iOS, Android, and more.
Desktop
Create native applications for Windows and macOS or build apps that run anywhere with web technologies.
Microservices
Create independently deployable microservices that run on Docker containers.
Cloud
Consume existing cloud services or deploy your own workloads.
Machine learning
Add vision, prediction, and advanced processing to your .NET applications, using C#, OpenAI and Azure.
Game development
Build 2D and 3D games for the most popular desktops, mobile devices, and consoles.
Internet of Things
Make IoT apps, with native support for Raspberry Pi and embedded boards.
IBM i as your backend
Your business logic stays on IBM i.
Your apps run in .NET.
An ADO.NET connector
for DB2 for i
For a .NET developer, using NTi feels familiar. You open a connection, run a query, and read the result, just like with any other database: standard C# applied to IBM i.
Build REST APIs
in just a few lines of code.
With ASP.NET Core, a minimal route is all you need to expose DB2 for i as a REST API. NTi integrates with no special setup required: same code, same habits. Only the provider changes.
An EF Core extension
for DB2 for i
For projects built around Entity Framework Core, NTi provides a complete extension: DbContext, migrations, LINQ, tracking, and DB-first or code-first scaffolding.
Full IBM i
control from C#
NTi is not limited to data. The same connection lets you run CL commands, call RPG programs, and orchestrate IBM i workloads from any .NET application.
Comparison of IBM i solutions for .NET
All tools allow access to IBM i data, but they do not offer the same level of integration, portability, or alignment with modern .NET-based architectures.
| NTi | ODBC* | iDB2** | DB2 Connect | Mapepire*** | |
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| No IBM i installation required |  |
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| EF Core support | |
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| RPG / CL program calls | |
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| Cloud-ready / container-friendly | |
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| Active vendor support | |
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| Futur-proofness (.NET, cloud, DevOps) | |
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| Price |
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- * ODBC requires the generic .NET wrapper
- ** iDB2 does not work in .NET Core (since 2014)
- *** JDBC-based server running on IBM i, no .NET client library
New use cases for your IBM i
Extend its capabilities with .NET and NTi.
Modern web portals
Replace your 5250 screens with fast, scalable web interfaces.
Your existing business logic stays on IBM i, everything is called from .NET.
AI and machine learning
Create a .NET MCP server that allows an AI model (Claude, GPT, etc.) to query your IBM i: analysis, extraction, report generation.
Mobile & embedded
Build Android and iOS apps able to read or write to your IBM i in real time: barcode scanning, inventory, field input.
APIs & connected services
Expose DB2 for i, your RPG programs, and other sources (PostgreSQL, third-party services) through unified ASP.NET Core APIs.
Rich desktop applications
Build full-featured WPF, WinUI, or Avalonia clients with a responsive local UI and direct access to your IBM i resources.
Cloud integration and broader systems
Connect your IBM i to Azure, AWS, or GCP, as well as your internal applications.
It becomes a reliable source for all your services and workflows.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. NTi does not require any software installation on IBM i.
You only need valid credentials and active TCP services (*DATABASE, *RMTCMD, *SIGNON, SVRMAP).
Only an NTi license key has to be added to the KNTI library, which takes just a few minutes.
Otherwise, NTi is installed via NuGet and referenced like any other .NET package in just a few seconds.
Yes. NTi fully replaces ODBC, OleDB, and iDB2 for .NET workloads.
Unlike these native drivers from the 1990s, NTi uses only the .NET runtime (CLR), which ensures portability across Windows, Linux, and Power, and eliminates issues with “ghost” QZDASOINIT jobs.
You develop 100% in .NET with no extra layer or wrapper.
.NET is one of the most advanced development platforms today: fast, modern, open source, and cross-platform.
It lets you build web, mobile, desktop, cloud, or microservice applications with a single language, C#.
.NET was ranked the number one most loved framework in the Stack Overflow Developer Survey for three years in a row.
For an IBM i project, .NET provides a standardized, productive, long-lasting environment with a large availability of skills on the market.
Add the Aumerial.EntityFrameworkCore NuGet package to your .NET project, then register your DbContext with UseNTi().
NTi EF Core lets you work with DB2 for i like any other .NET database: you write C#, query your tables with LINQ, generate SQL automatically, use a code-first approach, or retrieve an existing schema with DB-first.
The EF Core extension handles DB2 for i specifics such as BLOB types and global length configuration (VARCHAR, VARBINARY, VARGRAPHIC).
Yes. NTi allows you to run CL commands, call RPG or CLP programs, and even invoke IBM i system APIs.
Calls are executed through the IBM i host servers (QZRCSRVS, QZDASOINIT) over TCP/IP or SSL, with no SQL and no external dependencies.
