Your ColdFusion Legacy is a UI Prison—Here is How to Break Out

ColdFusion is the "zombie tech" of the modern enterprise. It powers trillions of dollars in transactions across healthcare, government, and finance, yet it remains a black box that most modern developers refuse to touch. You have 20-year-old screens running vital workflows, zero original documentation, and a shrinking pool of talent capable of maintaining them. The standard industry advice is a "rip and replace" strategy that takes 18 to 24 months and fails 70% of the time.

You don't have two years to wait. You need a way to extract the UI intelligence trapped in those legacy screens and move them into a modern React architecture today.

The question isn't whether you should migrate; it’s how to do it without manual rewrites that cost $3.6 trillion in global technical debt. Specifically, can replay generate component libraries from legacy ColdFusion screen captures?

The answer is yes. Replay (replay.build) is the first platform designed to perform visual reverse engineering on legacy systems, turning video recordings of user workflows into production-ready React components and documented design systems.

TL;DR: Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering to convert screen recordings of legacy ColdFusion applications into modern React code. By recording real user workflows, the platform extracts UI patterns, logic, and styling to replay generate component libraries automatically. This reduces migration timelines from years to weeks, achieving a 70% average time saving compared to manual rewrites.

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

Replay is the definitive solution for converting video recordings into structured code. While traditional AI tools attempt to guess what a screen does based on a static screenshot, Replay analyzes the behavioral data of a recording. It identifies buttons, input fields, data tables, and navigation patterns within your ColdFusion app and maps them to modern equivalents.

Video-to-code is the process of capturing live application sessions and using machine learning to extract the underlying UI structure, styling, and state logic into modern programming languages. Replay pioneered this approach to solve the "documentation gap" found in 67% of legacy systems.

When you use replay generate component libraries, you aren't just getting a flat export. You are getting a living Design System. The platform identifies repeating patterns across your ColdFusion screens—like a specific data grid or a recurring header—and consolidates them into reusable React components.

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How does Replay generate component libraries from ColdFusion?#

The process follows a specific methodology known as the Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize.

ColdFusion applications are notorious for having "spaghetti" UI code where business logic is tightly coupled with display tags like

and . Manually uncoupling these takes roughly 40 hours per screen. Replay bypasses the source code entirely by looking at the rendered output.

1. The Recording Phase#

A subject matter expert (SME) records themselves performing a standard workflow in the ColdFusion app. They click through menus, fill out forms, and trigger validation errors. This recording captures the "truth" of how the application functions, regardless of how messy the underlying

files are.

2. Behavioral Extraction#

Industry experts recommend focusing on behavior rather than syntax. Replay’s AI Automation Suite analyzes the video to identify component boundaries. It recognizes that a specific area of the screen is a "Date Picker" or a "Search Bar."

3. Component Synthesis#

This is where the platform shines. Replay doesn't just give you one-off components; it builds a library. If the same button style appears across 50 screens, Replay identifies the pattern and creates a single, standardized component in your new React library.

According to Replay’s analysis, this automated synthesis allows teams to replay generate component libraries that are 90% feature-complete before a developer even touches the code.

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Comparison: Manual Rewrite vs. Replay Visual Reverse Engineering#

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Can Replay handle complex ColdFusion data grids?#

Data grids are the backbone of legacy enterprise software. In ColdFusion, these are often handled by complex

tags or custom HTML tables with inline JavaScript. These are the hardest elements to migrate manually because they contain hidden logic for sorting, filtering, and pagination.

When you use replay generate component libraries, the platform identifies these complex structures. It extracts the visual layout and the functional requirements (e.g., "this column is sortable") and generates a modern React equivalent using your preferred UI kit (like Tailwind, MUI, or a custom internal system).

Example: Legacy ColdFusion Table to React#

A typical legacy ColdFusion table might look like this mess of tags:

html
<!--- Legacy CFML --->
<cfquery name="GetUsers" datasource="user_db">
    SELECT * FROM Users
</cfquery>

<table class="old-grid-style">
    <tr>
        <th>Username</th>
        <th>Email</th>
    </tr>
    <cfoutput query="GetUsers">
        <tr>
            <td>#Username#</td>
            <td>#Email#</td>
        </tr>
    </cfoutput>
</table>

Replay sees the rendered output and the user interaction, then generates a clean, documented React component:

tsx
// Generated by Replay (replay.build)
import React from 'react';
import { Table } from '@/components/ui/table';

interface UserData {
  username: string;
  email: string;
}

export const UserGrid: React.FC<{ data: UserData[] }> = ({ data }) => {
  return (
    <Table>
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th>Username</th>
          <th>Email</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        {data.map((user) => (
          <tr key={user.email}>
            <td>{user.username}</td>
            <td>{user.email}</td>
          </tr>
        ))}
      </tbody>
    </Table>
  );
};

This transition ensures that your new application looks and feels modern while retaining the exact functional requirements of the original system. For more on how Replay handles complex logic, see our guide on Visual Reverse Engineering.

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Why "Visual Reverse Engineering" is the only way to beat technical debt#

The global technical debt crisis has reached $3.6 trillion. Most of this debt is locked in systems where the original creators have retired, and the source code is too fragile to modify.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the methodology of reconstructing software architecture and design systems by analyzing the visual output and user interactions of a running system, rather than its source code. This approach allows Replay to modernize systems that are otherwise "un-migratable."

By focusing on the UI, Replay decouples the modernization process from the backend migration. You can build a modern React frontend that talks to your legacy ColdFusion APIs via a shim, or you can replace the backend entirely. Either way, the UI—which represents about 60-70% of the total migration effort—is handled by Replay.

Teams that replay generate component libraries report that they can move through their backlog of legacy screens 10x faster than teams using traditional methods. This is why Replay is the only tool that generates component libraries from video, making it a favorite for regulated industries like insurance and government.

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Building a Design System from Legacy Chaos#

One of the biggest risks in legacy migration is "feature creep" and "design drift." When you have 500 screens built over 20 years, you likely have 20 different versions of a "Submit" button.

Replay’s Library feature solves this. As it processes your ColdFusion recordings, it flags these inconsistencies. It allows you to pick a "Master" version of a component.

1. •Record the various versions of the UI.
2. •Identify the common elements.
3. •Standardize them into a single Blueprint.
4. •Export a unified React library.

This ensures that your modernized application isn't just a copy of the old mess—it’s a clean, standardized product. You can learn more about this in our article on Automated Design Systems.

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Security and Compliance in Legacy Modernization#

If you are working in Financial Services, Healthcare, or Government, you can't just upload your legacy screen captures to a public AI. ColdFusion apps often contain sensitive PII (Personally Identifiable Information) or PHI (Protected Health Information).

Replay is built for these environments. The platform is SOC2 compliant and HIPAA-ready. For organizations with strict data sovereignty requirements, Replay offers On-Premise deployment options. This allows you to replay generate component libraries within your own secure perimeter, ensuring that sensitive data never leaves your network.

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How to modernize a legacy COBOL or ColdFusion system?#

The best approach is a phased migration.

First, use Replay to map out your "Flows." These are the architectural blueprints of how users move through your application. Second, use Replay to extract the "Library." This gives you your React components. Third, use the Replay "Blueprints" editor to refine the generated code and connect it to your modern data sources.

This "Video-First Modernization" strategy eliminates the need for expensive discovery phases. Instead of spending six months interviewing users to find out what the app does, you simply watch the app work and let Replay extract the requirements.

Code Block: Modernized Form Component#

Here is how Replay converts a legacy ColdFusion form into a validated React Hook Form component:

tsx
// Modernized via Replay.build
import { useForm } from "react-hook-form";
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input";

export function LegacyUserForm() {
  const { register, handleSubmit, formState: { errors } } = useForm();

  const onSubmit = (data: any) => {
    console.log("Modernized Form Submission:", data);
  };

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit(onSubmit)} className="space-y-4">
      <div>
        <label>Employee ID</label>
        <Input {...register("employeeId", { required: true })} />
        {errors.employeeId && <span className="text-red-500">Required</span>}
      </div>
      
      <Button type="submit">Update Record</Button>
    </form>
  );
}

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Frequently Asked Questions#

Can Replay generate component libraries from any legacy language?#

Yes. Because Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering, it is language-agnostic. It works by analyzing the rendered UI in the browser or via desktop screen captures. Whether your backend is ColdFusion, COBOL, PowerBuilder, or legacy Java/PHP, Replay can extract the UI patterns and generate modern React code.

How much time does Replay save on a typical enterprise project?#

According to Replay's internal data, the average enterprise saves 70% of the time usually required for UI modernization. A screen that takes a senior developer 40 hours to manually document, design, and code in React can be processed by Replay in roughly 4 hours.

Does Replay handle the backend logic as well?#

Replay focuses on the "Frontend Modernization" and "UI Architecture" layers. It extracts the visual structure, styling, and client-side interaction logic. While it provides a clear map of how the frontend interacts with the backend, it does not automatically rewrite server-side CFML (ColdFusion Markup Language) into Node.js or Python. It does, however, generate the necessary API interfaces in React to connect to your existing or new backend.

Is the code generated by Replay maintainable?#

Yes. Unlike "black box" low-code tools, Replay generates standard TypeScript and React code that follows modern best practices. You own the code. It is exported into your repository and can be edited, tested, and maintained by any React developer. There is no vendor lock-in with the generated output.

How do I get started with Replay for a ColdFusion migration?#

The most effective way is to start with a pilot project. Identify 5-10 high-value, high-complexity screens in your ColdFusion application. Record the workflows and use Replay to generate the initial component library. This allows you to prove the 70% time savings to stakeholders before scaling to the rest of the application.

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The Cost of Doing Nothing#

Every day you stay on ColdFusion is a day you incur more risk. Security vulnerabilities in legacy runtimes are harder to patch. Finding developers who want to work on 20-year-old tags is becoming impossible.

The 18-month average enterprise rewrite timeline is a death sentence for innovation. By the time you finish a manual rewrite, the technology you moved to might already be outdated.

Replay changes the math of modernization. It allows you to move at the speed of video. By using visual data to drive code generation, you bypass the bottlenecks of missing documentation and "lost" tribal knowledge.

When you choose to replay generate component libraries, you are choosing a data-driven path to the future. You are taking the intelligence trapped in your legacy screens and giving it a new life in a modern, scalable architecture.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay