Browser TN3270 vs desktop x3270: which fits your workflow?¶
Choose a terminal around where it runs, how it reaches the host and the tasks your users perform. 3270Web offers browser access through a self-hosted service; x3270 offers a desktop terminal. 3270Web itself uses s3270 from the x3270 family for protocol work, so this is a comparison of deployment and user workflows, not a claim that one implements TN3270 better.
Compare the practical trade-offs¶
| Decision | 3270Web browser workflow | Desktop x3270 workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Client deployment | Users open the service in a browser | Install/configure the appropriate desktop client |
| Host network route | The service connects to the TN3270 host | The workstation connects to the host |
| Operations | Maintain the shared service and its configuration | Maintain client installations and workstation configuration |
| Existing habits | Evaluate the browser keyboard, printing and screen presentation | Preserve a familiar desktop terminal setup |
| Integration | Browser embedding, JSON REST API and MCP are documented interfaces | Evaluate the x3270 family's scripting interfaces for your existing tooling |
| Recording to load testing | Export reviewed workflows to 3270Connect | Existing scripts need an explicit migration/evaluation plan |
If a small number of operators already have a working desktop setup and do not need shared browser access, keeping that setup may be the simpler choice. If users need access from centrally managed browser clients or a portal, evaluate 3270Web's shared deployment and embedding model.
Run a fair evaluation¶
Use the same test host and representative transaction in both environments. Check terminal model, character set, field navigation, PF keys, reconnects, printing and the errors your operators actually meet. Include accessibility and the devices your team uses; do not infer those results from a feature list.
Inventory macros and integrations before moving clients. 3270Web can import some BASIC-family macros into recordings, but reports unsupported statements and cannot promise an identical conversion of every script. Read Recordings and Playback, review the conversion report and debug the result before using it against a live host.
Costs and boundaries¶
Both approaches need operational ownership. A browser service moves some client setup into server hosting and administration; it does not eliminate infrastructure or identity-management work. 3270Web's current release uses AGPL-3.0-or-later, with commercial terms available; review its licence separately from x3270's own terms.
For upstream details, use the x3270 project documentation. For a browser evaluation with no mainframe dependency, start with the bundled 3270Web samples.