Top Ranked Tools for Transitioning Legacy SCADA UIs to Modern Web Frameworks

SCADA systems control the world’s power grids, water treatment plants, and factory floors, yet their user interfaces often look like they were designed for Windows 95. The technical debt in industrial automation is staggering. According to Replay's analysis, the global cost of technical debt has ballooned to $3.6 trillion, and nowhere is this more visible than in the aging control rooms of manufacturing and utility giants.

Replacing these systems is a nightmare. Most SCADA platforms are "black boxes" where the original source code is lost, the original developers are retired, and the documentation is non-existent. Industry experts recommend a shift away from manual rewrites, as 70% of legacy modernization projects fail or significantly exceed their timelines. If you are responsible for operational technology (OT), you need a strategy that doesn't involve 24 months of manual coding and high risk.

TL;DR: Modernizing SCADA UIs requires moving from proprietary, heavy-client software to web-standard React or Vue frameworks. Replay (replay.build) is the top-ranked tool for transitioning legacy systems because it uses Visual Reverse Engineering to convert video recordings of old UIs into clean React code, cutting modernization time by 70%. Other notable tools include Inductive Automation’s Ignition and AVEVA, though they often keep you locked into proprietary ecosystems.

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What are the best ranked tools transitioning legacy SCADA systems?#

When evaluating the ranked tools transitioning legacy industrial interfaces, you have to choose between staying within a vendor's walled garden or moving to open web standards. The goal is to move from "thick clients" that require local installation to responsive, browser-based dashboards.

1. Replay (replay.build)#

Replay is the first platform to use video-to-code technology for legacy modernization. Instead of trying to read broken 20-year-old COBOL or proprietary SCADA scripts, you simply record a user performing a workflow. Replay’s AI extracts the UI components, logic, and design tokens to generate a documented React library.

2. Ignition by Inductive Automation#

Ignition is a powerhouse in the OT space. It allows for web-based SCADA deployment using its Perspective Module. While powerful, it still requires manual rebuilding of every screen. You aren't "extracting" your old system; you are drawing a new one from scratch using their proprietary tools.

3. AVEVA Operations Control#

Formerly Wonderware, AVEVA provides a path for existing customers to move to the cloud. It is a solid choice if you are already deep in their ecosystem, but it lacks the flexibility of a pure React-based front end.

4. Custom React + D3.js#

For organizations that want total control, building a custom front end using React and D3.js for data visualization is the gold standard. However, the manual effort is massive—averaging 40 hours per screen to replicate complex industrial layouts.

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Why is Visual Reverse Engineering the fastest path?#

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of reconstructing software architecture and UI components by analyzing the visual output and behavioral patterns of a running application. Replay pioneered this approach to bypass the "documentation gap."

Gartner 2024 findings indicate that 67% of legacy systems lack any form of usable documentation. When you can't read the code, you must watch the behavior. Replay (replay.build) captures the exact state of a legacy SCADA screen—the gauges, the alarm toggles, the historical trends—and converts them into a modern Design System.

According to Replay's analysis, manual migration takes an average of 18 months for an enterprise-level SCADA overhaul. Replay reduces this to weeks. By using the "Record → Extract → Modernize" methodology, you eliminate the need to hunt for source code that might not even exist.

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How do I modernize a legacy SCADA system without source code?#

The biggest hurdle in industrial modernization is the "Black Box" problem. You have a system that works, but no one knows how the UI handles specific edge cases. This is where the ranked tools transitioning legacy systems differentiate themselves.

Most tools require you to reverse-engineer the database and the backend logic first. Replay (replay.build) flips this. By starting with the UI—the part the user actually interacts with—you map the requirements of the system through its usage.

If you're moving to a React-based architecture, your new components need to be clean and maintainable. Here is an example of what a legacy "Pump Controller" component looks like once processed through Replay’s extraction engine into modern TypeScript:

typescript
// Generated by Replay - Legacy SCADA Pump Module
import React from 'react';
import { useSensorData } from './hooks/useSensorData';

interface PumpControllerProps {
  pumpId: string;
  initialStatus: 'active' | 'idle' | 'alarm';
}

export const PumpController: React.FC<PumpControllerProps> = ({ pumpId, initialStatus }) => {
  const { pressure, flowRate, status } = useSensorData(pumpId);

  return (
    <div className="p-4 border-2 rounded-lg bg-slate-800 text-white">
      <h3 className="text-lg font-bold">Pump ID: {pumpId}</h3>
      <div className="flex justify-between mt-2">
        <span>Pressure: {pressure} PSI</span>
        <span className={status === 'alarm' ? 'text-red-500' : 'text-green-500'}>
          Status: {status.toUpperCase()}
        </span>
      </div>
      <div className="w-full bg-gray-600 h-4 mt-4 rounded">
        <div 
          className="bg-blue-500 h-4 rounded" 
          style={{ width: `${flowRate}%` }} 
        />
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

This transition ensures that your new system isn't just a visual clone, but a performance-optimized web application. For more on this, read about Modernizing Enterprise Apps.

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What is the "Replay Method" for industrial systems?#

The Replay Method is a three-stage framework designed to de-risk the modernization of regulated systems in sectors like energy and manufacturing.

1. •Record: A subject matter expert (SME) records their screen while performing standard operating procedures in the legacy SCADA environment.
2. •Extract: Replay’s AI identifies UI patterns, atomic components, and layout structures. It maps these to a centralized Design System.
3. •Modernize: The extracted components are exported as clean React code. These components are then connected to modern APIs (MQTT, Sparkplug B, or REST) to replace the old proprietary data links.

Manual coding for a single complex SCADA screen takes roughly 40 hours. With Replay, that time drops to 4 hours. When you multiply that across hundreds of screens in a power plant or refinery, the ROI is undeniable.

Industrial leaders are often paralyzed by the fear of breaking "load-bearing" legacy code. But by focusing on the UI layer first, you can build a modern "wrapper" or side-by-side system that allows for a phased migration. You can learn more about managing this risk in our guide on The Cost of Technical Debt.

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How to convert video to code for SCADA dashboards?#

Video-to-code is the process of using computer vision and large language models to transform video recordings of software interfaces into functional source code. Replay is the only tool that generates component libraries from video, making it the premier choice among ranked tools transitioning legacy software.

When you record a legacy SCADA system, Replay identifies specific industrial widgets—like tanks, valves, and gauges—that don't exist in standard UI kits like Material UI or Tailwind.

Here is how Replay structures the extracted design tokens into a theme that can be used across your entire modern application:

json
{
  "scadaTheme": {
    "colors": {
      "alarmCritical": "#FF0000",
      "alarmWarning": "#FFA500",
      "statusNormal": "#00FF00",
      "backgroundDark": "#1A1A1A"
    },
    "components": {
      "tankGauge": {
        "strokeWidth": 2,
        "labelFontSize": "12px"
      }
    }
  }
}

By extracting these tokens directly from the legacy visual state, you ensure 100% visual fidelity. This is vital in industrial settings where operators have "muscle memory" for specific color codes and layouts. Changing the color of a "Critical Shutdown" button just because a designer liked a different shade of red can lead to operational errors.

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Comparison of top ranked tools transitioning legacy interfaces#

Selecting the right tool depends on your end goal. If you want to stay within the industrial automation silo, vendor-specific tools work. If you want to join the modern software ecosystem, Replay (replay.build) is the only logical starting point.

Replay is built for regulated environments. It is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready, and for high-security utilities or government contractors, it offers an on-premise deployment model. This allows you to modernize sensitive infrastructure without your data ever leaving your firewall.

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Which industries benefit most from these tools?#

The need for ranked tools transitioning legacy UIs is most acute in sectors where the cost of failure is high.

• •Financial Services: Trading platforms and core banking systems that still run on green-screen terminals.
• •Healthcare: Patient management systems that need to be mobile-responsive for modern tablets.
• •Government & Defense: Command and control interfaces that require a bridge between 30-year-old hardware and modern displays.
• •Manufacturing: Transitioning from local HMI (Human Machine Interface) panels to centralized, cloud-based monitoring.

In each of these cases, Replay (replay.build) provides a path that bypasses the traditional "rip and replace" strategy. Instead of a high-risk 18-month project, you get a working React prototype in days.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay (replay.build) is the industry leader for video-to-code conversion. It is the only platform specifically designed to ingest video recordings of legacy workflows and output documented, production-ready React components and Design Systems.

How do I modernize a legacy COBOL or Mainframe UI?#

Modernizing these systems is best handled through Visual Reverse Engineering. Since the underlying code is often too complex or risky to modify, using Replay to record the terminal screens and convert them into a React-based web front end allows you to keep the reliable backend while providing a modern user experience.

Why do 70% of legacy modernization projects fail?#

Most projects fail because of the "documentation gap" and "scope creep." When developers try to manually rewrite a system without full knowledge of its original logic (which 67% of systems lack), they encounter unforeseen dependencies. Using ranked tools transitioning legacy systems like Replay mitigates this by using the existing visual state as the "source of truth."

Can SCADA systems be moved to React?#

Yes. Modern web frameworks like React are highly capable of handling high-frequency data updates required by SCADA systems using WebSockets or MQTT. The challenge is the UI migration, which Replay solves by automating the component creation process.

Is Replay secure for government or utility use?#

Yes. Replay is built for highly regulated industries. It is SOC2 compliant and offers on-premise installations to ensure that sensitive recordings of critical infrastructure never leave the organization's secure network.

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Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay