Lesson 2 · Node.js on IBM i — From RPG Developer to Modern IBM i Developer

PASE Explained for IBM i Developers

Understand where Node.js runs on IBM i, how PASE relates to the operating system, and which shell and IFS concepts you need first.

Saurabh Arora

IBM i Solution Architect | Technical Lead | Modernization & Integration Specialist

Published September 4, 20263 min read

PASE is the environment on IBM i where Node.js and many other open-source tools run. It is part of IBM i, not a separate Linux server beside it.

Before installing Node.js, it helps to understand where it will run.

RPG developers are used to libraries, objects, jobs, and commands such as WRKACTJOB or DSPLIBL. Open-source tools use a different vocabulary: directories, stream files, processes, shells, and environment variables.

PASE is the bridge between those worlds.

What is PASE?

PASE stands for Portable Application Solutions Environment for i.

It provides an AIX-compatible runtime and industry-standard shell utilities within IBM i. Software such as Node.js, Python, Git, and many command-line tools can run there without requiring a separate Linux partition.

IBM i
├── ILE environment
│   ├── RPG programs
│   ├── CL commands
│   └── Libraries and objects
│
└── PASE environment
    ├── Node.js
    ├── npm
    ├── Git
    └── Shell utilities

Both environments belong to the same IBM i system. A Node.js application in PASE can work with the IFS and, through the appropriate connectors, Db2 for i and IBM i resources.

A useful way to remember the distinction is that traditional IBM i applications generally run in ILE, while many open-source applications run in PASE. They are different environments on the same system.

The shell is your command line

You normally work with Node.js through an SSH terminal connected to IBM i.

Inside that terminal, you enter shell commands rather than CL commands:

pwd
whoami
ls
cd /home/myuser

Here is what they mean:

pwd       Show the current directory
whoami    Show the current user
ls        List files and directories
cd        Change the current directory

IBM documentation also describes QP2TERM, but IBM i open-source guidance generally recommends SSH for modern command-line work. Avoid QShell (QSH) for package management and Node.js development.

The IFS becomes your workspace

Traditional source may live in source physical files. Node.js applications normally live as stream files in the Integrated File System.

A project might look like this:

/home/myuser/eraofi-node/
├── package.json
├── package-lock.json
├── hello.js
└── node_modules/

This is still IBM i storage. The organization is simply based on directories and files instead of libraries, source files, and members.

For learning, your home directory is a good place to work. Production applications should use a deliberately chosen IFS location with controlled ownership and permissions.

PATH is similar to a library list

When you type node, the shell searches directories listed in the PATH environment variable.

That idea is similar to an IBM i job searching its library list for a command or program, although the two mechanisms are not identical.

IBM’s RPM-installed open-source tools normally live under /QOpenSys/pkgs. A typical temporary PATH adjustment is:

PATH=/QOpenSys/pkgs/bin:$PATH
export PATH

After that, the shell can find commands installed in /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin.

Your IBM i identity still matters

PASE does not bypass IBM i security.

The user profile used for the session still affects what the process can read, change, and execute. IFS ownership and POSIX permissions also matter.

Do not run Node.js applications with an unnecessarily powerful profile. Development convenience should not become production authority.

Common mistake: treating PASE like a separate machine

PASE is not a separate Linux virtual machine. It has its own runtime conventions, but it remains integrated with IBM i.

That means you should think about both sides:

• IBM i user profiles and authority
• IFS ownership and permissions
• PASE environment variables
• library lists and naming when native resources are involved
• job logging and operational monitoring

What to remember

You do not need to become a Unix administrator before learning Node.js.

For now, remember three things:

PASE runs open-source software on IBM i.
The shell is where you run Node.js commands.
The IFS is where your Node.js project files live.

In the next lesson, we will install a supported Node.js LTS version and verify both node and npm.