z/OSGoverned MCP APIs
JES, Files, and 3270 endpoints your own scripts and external AI agent frameworks call directly — SAF-gated, included with any Connect/MP license, no Connect/AI required.
Web Services · Legacy Modernization
Ahead of the REST.
No JVM. No Stack Tax. AI enabled.
Connect/Web
< 100 MB
Resident
Memory
~50 ms
3270 Connect
Time
25
AI Capabilities
Day One
4
CGI Scripting
Languages
SAF
Access
Control
TLS
IBM System SSL
Encryption
z/OS Native Web Server
Empowering the AI-Ready Mainframe.
Connect/Web is the native z/OS web foundation behind Connect/MP’s AI and modernization capabilities — lightweight, dependency-free, and built to remove the latency, memory, and complexity tax traditional web infrastructure carries on the mainframe. Its governed MCP APIs for JES, Files, and 3270 are open to your own scripts and external AI agent frameworks on any Connect/MP license — no Connect/AI purchase required; Connect/AI adds native agentic execution on top.
Why Connect/Web
Everything your team needs — one binary
Every capability below comes with any Connect/MP license — scripts and external AI agents included, no Connect/AI required to call the APIs.
AI Inference, Native
Batch JCL inference and a real-time interactive AI workspace, powered directly by Connect/Web — against any model, on any schedule. Connect/AI ›
Web 3270 Access
Browser-based 3270 sessions, no emulator or plug-ins — plus an MCP API that exposes live screen data to scripts and AI agents. Connect/3270 ›
Lightweight Web Server
Static serving and CGI in REXX, Java, Python, and PHP — under 100 MB resident, no JVM, no application server to patch or license.
Performance
Lightweight vs the Java stack
z/OSMF runs on WebSphere Liberty — a genuinely good engineering choice within the Java ecosystem. Connect/Web takes a different path, built specifically to minimize footprint and latency on z/OS.
| Metric | z/OSMF on Liberty | Connect/Web |
|---|---|---|
| Cold start | Seconds to a minute | Milliseconds |
| Resident memory | 1–2 GB (IBM recommends REGION=4G) | < 100 MB |
| Latency variance | Subject to periodic pauses under load | Sub-millisecond, consistent |
AI Integration
First-Class Agentic AI on z/OS, with Connect/AI
Connect/Web is the native z/OS infrastructure Connect/AI runs on. A broad set of ready-made capabilities across JES, Files, and Connect/3270 are available to Connect/AI, in-process and with no added latency.
Connect/AI z/OS native
Calls every capability in-process, with no added latency. Runs batch JCL inference on a schedule or drives the real-time interactive AI workspace, both powered directly by Connect/Web.
Any model, your choice
Connect/AI connects to the inference model you choose — mainframe-resident, your own local model, or a cloud provider like Claude, OpenAI, or Grok.
Getting Started
Set up in minutes
Point Connect/AI at the model of your choice and you’re done — no custom integration code, no separate connector to build or maintain.
Then ask naturally:
“What JES jobs are currently running?”
“Open a 3270 session and get me to SDSF DA.”
“Read SYS1.PARMLIB(EASY500) and summarise the key settings.”
Who It's For
Built for every team that touches z/OS
From operators running batch, to analysts working live AI in the Web AI Workspace, to developers building CGI applications — Connect/Web reduces friction at every layer of the z/OS stack.
Operators
Browser 3270 access from any device. No emulator install, no firewall rule for raw TN3270 ports.
Systems programmers
Read and write PARMLIB members, datasets, and USS files remotely. Expose tooling as CGI with existing REXX.
DevOps teams
Submit JCL, stream spool output, and handle job events. Jenkins keeps working unchanged.
Web developers
Build z/OS-integrated web apps in Python, PHP, Java, or REXX — without standing up a separate application server.
AI engineers
A broad set of ready-made capabilities let Connect/AI reason over z/OS data and drive 3270 sessions — no custom integration code.
Platform architects
Replace z/OSMF's 1–2 GB footprint with tens of MB. No JVM to license, patch, or operate.
Deployment
Simple by design
No install wizard, no application server, no Java runtime — a single binary, a config file, and a webroot. One vendor, one point of support for your entire z/OS web infrastructure.
TLS included
Handled natively, end to end. No reverse proxy required.
Multi-site
Dev and prod from one process — separate webroots, ports, and TLS certs per site.
Resources
Connect/MP › Connect/Web
Features
Key Features
Lightweight, Native Performance
No JVM — under 100 MB resident, ~50 ms connect time
Connect/Web runs directly on z/OS, without a Java runtime or the overhead that comes with it. Resident memory stays under 100 MB and TN3270 session connect time averages around 50 ms — regardless of load.
z/OSMF-Compatible REST Access
Understands z/OSMF job and file requests natively
Connect/Web understands IBM z/OSMF's REST interface natively for job and file operations (/zosmf/restjobs/ and /zosmf/restfiles/), giving REST clients built against those endpoints a native, high-performance alternative on Connect/Web.
Connect/AI Integration
Broad Connect/AI access, ready on Day One
Connect/Web gives Connect/AI ready-made access to z/OS datasets, JES jobs, 3270 sessions, and USS files under full SAF security. Connect/AI connects to the inference model of your choice — mainframe-resident, local, or a cloud provider like Claude, OpenAI, or Grok. No custom integration code required.
Interactive AI Workspace
Chat included with any license; agentic tool use with Connect/AI
Connect/Web hosts a browser-based interactive AI workspace natively on z/OS, in two tiers. Chat and inference-only access — no tool use — is included with any Connect/MP component license. Connect/AI upgrades the same session to agentic tool use: multi-step reasoning that acts on JES, files, and 3270, under your approval — from any browser, with no desktop client or VPN required.
Browser-Based 3270 Access
TN3270 sessions in any browser — no emulator required
Connect/3270 is built into Connect/Web and delivers full TN3270 terminal sessions in the browser. Operators connect from any browser on any device with no emulator install and no firewall rule for raw TN3270 ports.
JES & Dataset Access
Submit jobs, stream spool, read and write datasets
Connect/JES handles job submission, status polling, and spool streaming remotely. Connect/Files provides read/write access to z/OS sequential datasets, PDS members, and USS files — all with SAF-enforced authorization.
CGI Scripting
REXX, Java, PHP, and Python — all supported
Connect/Web runs CGI scripts in REXX, Java, PHP, and Python directly on z/OS. No separate scripting runtime installation is required. Existing REXX tooling can be exposed to the web immediately, and modern languages are available for new development without standing up an external application server.
TLS & SAF Security
IBM System SSL encryption, SAF identity-based access control
All connections can be secured with HTTPS using IBM System SSL — no third-party certificate library required. SAF integration enforces identity-based access control on every endpoint, so web access respects the same security rules already governing the rest of the system.
Single Binary Deployment
No install wizard, no application server, no Java runtime
Connect/Web ships as a single binary. Drop it in place, point it at a config file and a webroot, and it runs. There is no install wizard, no application server to configure, and no Java runtime to license or patch. Supports z/OS V2R2 and later.
Multi-Site & Multiplatform CLI
Virtual hosting plus a CLI for Linux, Windows, and macOS
A single Connect/Web instance can serve multiple virtual hosts, each with its own document root, CGI directory, and TLS certificate. A companion CLI runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS, giving off-platform teams direct access to z/OS resources without a separate gateway.
Static Serving & Server-Side Includes
Full static file server with SSI directive support
Connect/Web serves static HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and binary files directly from USS or PDS. Server-Side Includes (SSI) directives allow pages to pull in content from other files at request time, enabling modular HTML assembly without a build step.