A method for replacing a software component among a plurality of software components of a runtime system, in particular a runtime system of an industrial control environment, comprises the steps of determining a first software component to be replaced among the plurality of software components, determining a second software component for replacing the first software component in the runtime system; initializing the second software component in the runtime system; routing a plurality of calls directed to the first software component centrally through a wrapper component; and switching the calls directed to the first software component to the second software component by means of a wrapper component.