Application definition
Document machine functions, operating modes, I/O, cycle time, HMI, motion, safety and external interfaces.
CODESYS System Partner
CODESYS Automation Platform Engineering
Design the control application, select the execution target, integrate I/O and communication, build the operator interface, engineer motion where required, evaluate certified safety routes, and define how deployed controllers will be maintained throughout their lifecycle.
IEC 61131-3 EngineeringRuntime & Virtual PLCVisualizationFieldbus / OPC UA / MQTTMotion & Functional Safety
Start with the automation objective
Define the machine and system requirement before selecting CODESYS products
CODESYS is a platform rather than a single PLC product. The appropriate engineering, runtime, visualization, communication, motion, safety and operations components depend on where the function must run and what timing, hardware and lifecycle constraints apply.
01 · Engineering
Develop the control application
Create the IEC 61131-3 application, configure devices and networks, manage libraries, debug and commission the controller.
Open engineering route →02 · ExecutionSelect the control runtime
Choose an OEM CODESYS controller, a Control SL SoftPLC or a qualified virtual-control architecture.
Open engineering route →03 · HMIEngineer operator and service interfaces
Choose TargetVisu, WebVisu or CODESYS HMI according to where the interface must run and how it accesses controller data.
Open engineering route →04 · ConnectivityIntegrate field and information networks
Configure field I/O and Industrial Ethernet, then define OPC UA, MQTT or other higher-level data routes separately.
Open engineering route →05 · MotionAdd motion, CNC or robotics
Size the controller, drive network and motion licence scope around axes, kinematics, interpolation and cycle-time requirements.
Open engineering route →06 · OperationsManage deployed controllers and projects
Apply centralized device/project operations, remote access, controlled rollout and lifecycle governance with Automation Server where justified.
Open engineering route →07 · SafetyEvaluate a certified safety route
Select only a documented certified CODESYS safety architecture and validate the complete machine safety function.
Open engineering route →Primionics · CODESYS System Partner
Engineering support from requirement definition through commissioning
Primionics supports application architecture, target and runtime selection, device integration, fieldbus and HMI engineering, motion architecture, deployment planning, diagnostics and controlled lifecycle practices. Product licensing, controller hardware and third-party components are scoped separately from engineering services.
Platform architecture
Engineer locally, execute deterministically, manage the lifecycle separately
The Development System creates the application. CODESYS Control executes it on the selected target. Visualization, communication and motion extend the machine architecture. Automation Server belongs to the controller/project operations layer and must not become a dependency for deterministic local machine execution.
01CODESYS Development System
02CODESYS Control / Control SL
03I/O · Communication · HMI · Motion
04Machine / process
05Automation Server / OT operations
Functional safety is a separate certified architecture. A safety claim applies only to the selected CODESYS safety product, certified target/deployment, safe communication, safe I/O and validated machine safety function.
Dedicated platform pages
Nine CODESYS components, each with a distinct engineering role
The structure remains intentionally compact: customers enter through the engineering objective and then move to a dedicated page for the relevant CODESYS component.
Engineering
CODESYS Development System
The IEC 61131-3 engineering environment: programming, device and I/O configuration, libraries, debugging and commissioning in one project. A compatible CODESYS runtime executes the result.
View dedicated page →
Control execution
CODESYS Runtime
The execution layer that turns a compatible target into a programmable controller. CODESYS Control is either integrated by the OEM or installed as a Control SL SoftPLC on a supported platform.
View dedicated page →
Virtual PLC
CODESYS Virtual Control SL
A containerised IEC 61131-3 runtime for virtual PLC deployment on supported Linux systems. Controller instances, compute, networking, I/O access and lifecycle are managed on the host platform.
View dedicated page →
HMI and operator interface
CODESYS Visualization
One engineering environment for operator, commissioning and maintenance interfaces. Objects reference application variables directly and deploy as TargetVisu, WebVisu or CODESYS HMI.
View dedicated page →
Industrial connectivity
CODESYS Fieldbus & Communication
Communication from field-level I/O through controller-to-controller exchange to supervisory and cloud interfaces. Deterministic field traffic stays separate from information-layer OPC UA and MQTT.
View dedicated page →
Motion control
CODESYS Motion CNC Robotics
Extends the IEC 61131-3 project with single-axis and coordinated motion, CNC interpolation and supported robot kinematics. Performance follows the runtime target, drive network and licence scope.
View dedicated page →
Controller and project management
CODESYS Automation Server
A centralized operations layer for connected controllers and projects: device management, versioning, remote engineering access, rollouts, certificates and users. Controllers continue to execute locally.
View dedicated page →
Functional safety
CODESYS Safety
Certified software for functional-safety applications. A safety claim covers only the specific CODESYS safety product, controller or virtual-control architecture, safe communication and safe I/O that the certification names.
View dedicated page →
Virtual safety control
CODESYS Virtual Safe Control SL
A virtual safety controller using two logically diverse software-processing channels instead of dual-channel safety hardware. Certified for IEC 61508 SIL3 within the documented product, deployment and communication scope.
View dedicated page →Selection guide
Component selection by function, execution location and timing
This table separates engineering, real-time execution, user interface, networking, motion, operations and certified safety so that product names do not obscure the architecture.
| Engineer IEC 61131-3 logic, devices and commissioning | CODESYS Development System |
|---|---|
| Execute the PLC application on a compatible controller or SoftPLC | CODESYS Control / Control SL runtime route |
| Deploy containerized virtual PLC instances on supported Linux platforms | CODESYS Virtual Control SL |
| Provide local, browser-based or independent HMI | CODESYS Visualization |
| Integrate field I/O, Industrial Ethernet and OT/IT communication | CODESYS Fieldbus & Communication |
| Control axes, coordinated motion, CNC paths or robot kinematics | CODESYS Motion CNC Robotics |
| Manage connected devices, projects, remote access and rollout | CODESYS Automation Server |
| Select a supported certified functional-safety architecture | CODESYS Safety |
| Implement certified virtual safety control within documented scope | CODESYS Virtual Safe Control SL |
Engineering process
From application requirement to maintainable deployed system
A professional CODESYS project is more than PLC code. The target baseline, interfaces, commissioning evidence and lifecycle records should be defined with the same discipline as the application itself.
Architecture definition
Select the target strategy, runtime, device packages, communication layers and optional CODESYS components.
Engineering & integration
Build the application, integrate devices and networks, and implement HMI or motion functions as required.
Verification & commissioning
Verify timing, restart, communication failure, diagnostics, operator behaviour and acceptance criteria on the actual target.
Lifecycle baseline
Archive versions, libraries, device packages, licences, certificates, backups and the approved deployment/update process.
Requirement capture
Project information needed for a meaningful CODESYS review
Providing the technical baseline early makes it possible to distinguish application issues from target, network, HMI, motion, safety or lifecycle issues.
Application scopeMachine/process functions, operating modes, cycle-time expectations and whether the project is new design, retrofit or migration.
Target & software baselineController/IPC, CPU architecture, operating system, CODESYS runtime, device package, compiler profile and existing project version.
I/O & communicationLocal/remote I/O, fieldbuses, Industrial Ethernet, OPC UA, MQTT, controller-to-controller links and required protocol roles.
HMI & user accessDisplay hardware, browser clients, independent HMI requirements, alarms, trends, recipes, user roles and remote-service policy.
Motion & functional safetyAxis count, drives, kinematics, CNC/robotics requirements, safe I/O, safe communication and required PL/SIL where relevant.
Deployment & lifecycleController quantity, sites, licensing, backups, certificates, update process, rollback expectations and maintenance ownership.
Official product information
Verify the current CODESYS release, licence and target scope
The Primionics pages explain architecture and selection. Current CODESYS product pages, Store data, release information and safety documentation remain the final source for orderable versions, target support, licence options and certification scope.
CODESYS Development SystemOfficial CODESYS ↗CODESYS RuntimeOfficial CODESYS ↗CODESYS Virtual Control SLOfficial CODESYS ↗CODESYS VisualizationOfficial CODESYS ↗CODESYS Fieldbus & CommunicationOfficial CODESYS ↗CODESYS Motion CNC RoboticsOfficial CODESYS ↗CODESYS Automation ServerOfficial CODESYS ↗CODESYS SafetyOfficial CODESYS ↗CODESYS Virtual Safe Control SLOfficial CODESYS ↗