diff --git a/app/webpack.config.cjs b/app/webpack.config.cjs
index 9704a4d9..b73e460f 100644
--- a/app/webpack.config.cjs
+++ b/app/webpack.config.cjs
@@ -163,7 +163,11 @@ module.exports = (_, args) => {
         // Hawtio backend API mock
         let login = true
         devServer.app.get(`${publicPath}/user`, (_, res) => {
-          login ? res.send(`"${username}"`) : res.sendStatus(403)
+          if (login) {
+            res.send(`"${username}"`)
+          } else {
+            res.sendStatus(403)
+          }
         })
         devServer.app.post(`${publicPath}/auth/login`, (req, res) => {
           // Test authentication throttling with username 'throttled'
@@ -213,6 +217,19 @@ module.exports = (_, args) => {
         )
         devServer.app.get(`${publicPath}/keycloak/validate-subject-matches`, (_, res) => res.send('true'))
 
+        // Testing preset connections
+        /*
+        devServer.app.get(`${publicPath}/preset-connections`, (_, res) => {
+          res.type('application/json')
+          res.send(
+            JSON.stringify([
+              { name: 'test1', scheme: 'http', host: 'localhost', port: 8778, path: '/jolokia/' },
+              { name: 'test2' },
+            ]),
+          )
+        })
+        */
+
         // Hawtio backend middleware should be run before other middlewares (thus 'unshift')
         // in order to handle GET requests to the proxied Jolokia endpoint.
         middlewares.unshift({
diff --git a/packages/hawtio/src/plugins/shared/__mocks__/connect-service.ts b/packages/hawtio/src/plugins/shared/__mocks__/connect-service.ts
index f8ba618e..f10aa2e3 100644
--- a/packages/hawtio/src/plugins/shared/__mocks__/connect-service.ts
+++ b/packages/hawtio/src/plugins/shared/__mocks__/connect-service.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
-import 'jolokia.js'
 import Jolokia, { IJolokiaSimple } from '@jolokia.js/simple'
+import 'jolokia.js'
 import {
+  ConnectStatus,
   Connection,
   ConnectionCredentials,
   ConnectionTestResult,
   Connections,
   IConnectService,
   LoginResult,
-  ConnectStatus,
 } from '../connect-service'
 
 class MockConnectService implements IConnectService {
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ class MockConnectService implements IConnectService {
     console.log('Using mock connect service')
   }
 
+  getCurrentConnectionId(): string | null {
+    return null
+  }
+
   getCurrentConnectionName(): string | null {
     return null
   }
@@ -72,7 +76,7 @@ class MockConnectService implements IConnectService {
     return ''
   }
 
-  getJolokiaUrlFromName(name: string): string | null {
+  getJolokiaUrlFromId(name: string): string | null {
     return null
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/hawtio/src/plugins/shared/connect-service.ts b/packages/hawtio/src/plugins/shared/connect-service.ts
index bb59db56..6f92f914 100644
--- a/packages/hawtio/src/plugins/shared/connect-service.ts
+++ b/packages/hawtio/src/plugins/shared/connect-service.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { toString } from '@hawtiosrc/util/strings'
 import { joinPaths } from '@hawtiosrc/util/urls'
 import Jolokia, { IJolokiaSimple } from '@jolokia.js/simple'
 import { log } from './globals'
+
 export type Connections = {
   // key is ID, not name, so we can alter the name
   [key: string]: Connection
@@ -62,35 +63,44 @@ export const SESSION_KEY_CURRENT_CONNECTION = 'connect.currentConnection'
 export const PARAM_KEY_CONNECTION = 'con'
 export const PARAM_KEY_REDIRECT = 'redirect'
 
-const LOGIN_PATH = '/connect/login'
+const PATH_LOGIN = '/connect/login'
+const PATH_PRESET_CONNECTIONS = '/preset-connections'
 
 export interface IConnectService {
+  getCurrentConnectionId(): string | null
   getCurrentConnectionName(): string | null
   getCurrentConnection(): Promise<Connection | null>
   getCurrentCredentials(): Promise<ConnectionCredentials | null>
   loadConnections(): Connections
   saveConnections(connections: Connections): void
-  getConnection(name: string): Connection | null
+  getConnection(id: string): Connection | null
   connectionToUrl(connection: Connection): string
   checkReachable(connection: Connection): Promise<ConnectStatus>
   testConnection(connection: Connection): Promise<ConnectionTestResult>
-  connect(connection: Connection): void
+  connect(connection: Connection, current?: boolean): void
   login(username: string, password: string): Promise<LoginResult>
   redirect(): void
   createJolokia(connection: Connection, checkCredentials?: boolean): IJolokiaSimple
   getJolokiaUrl(connection: Connection): string
-  getJolokiaUrlFromName(name: string): string | null
+  getJolokiaUrlFromId(name: string): string | null
   getLoginPath(): string
   export(connections: Connections): void
 }
 
 class ConnectService implements IConnectService {
-  private readonly currentConnection: string | null
+  private readonly currentConnectionId: string | null
 
   constructor() {
-    this.currentConnection = this.initCurrentConnection()
+    this.currentConnectionId = this.initCurrentConnection()
   }
 
+  /**
+   * The precedence of the current connection is as follows:
+   * 1. URL query parameter: {@link PARAM_KEY_CONNECTION}
+   * 2. Session storage: {@link SESSION_KEY_CURRENT_CONNECTION}
+   * 3. Preset connections from the backend API: {@link PATH_PRESET_CONNECTIONS}
+   *    (after page reload or new tabs opened)
+   */
   private initCurrentConnection(): string | null {
     // Check remote connection from URL query param
     const url = new URL(window.location.href)
@@ -110,24 +120,97 @@ class ConnectService implements IConnectService {
     // Case when user may refresh the page after "con" parameter has already been cleared
     // Check remote connection from session storage
     conn = sessionStorage.getItem(SESSION_KEY_CURRENT_CONNECTION)
-    return conn ? JSON.parse(conn) : null
+    if (conn) {
+      return JSON.parse(conn)
+    }
+
+    // Processing preset connections should come at last to prevent processing
+    // them multiple times, because it may open new tab(s)/session(s) with `?con=`
+    // to auto-connect to them later.
+    this.loadPresetConnections()
+
+    return null
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * See: https://github.com/hawtio/hawtio/issues/3731
+   */
+  private async loadPresetConnections(): Promise<void> {
+    try {
+      const path = this.getPresetConnectionsPath()
+      const res = await fetch(path)
+      if (!res.ok) {
+        log.debug('Failed to load preset connections:', res.status, res.statusText)
+        return
+      }
+
+      const preset: Partial<Connection>[] = await res.json()
+      log.debug('Preset connections:', preset)
+      const connections = this.loadConnections()
+      const toOpen: Connection[] = []
+      preset.forEach(({ name, scheme, host, port, path }) => {
+        // name must be always defined
+        if (!name) {
+          return
+        }
+        let conn = Object.values(connections).find(c => c.name === name)
+        if (scheme && host && port && path) {
+          if (port < 0) {
+            // default ports
+            port = scheme === 'https' ? 443 : 80
+          }
+          if (!conn) {
+            conn = { id: '', name, scheme, host, port, path }
+            this.generateId(conn, connections)
+            connections[conn.id] = conn
+          } else {
+            conn.scheme = scheme
+            conn.host = host
+            conn.port = port
+            conn.path = path
+          }
+          toOpen.push(conn)
+        } else if (conn) {
+          // Open connection only when it exists
+          toOpen.push(conn)
+        }
+      })
+      this.saveConnections(connections)
+
+      // Open the first connection in the current tab
+      // and open the rest in new tabs
+      const first = toOpen.shift()
+      toOpen.forEach(c => this.connect(c))
+      if (first) {
+        this.connect(first, true)
+      }
+    } catch (err) {
+      // Silently ignore errors
+      log.debug('Error loading preset connections:', err)
+    }
+  }
+
+  private getPresetConnectionsPath(): string {
+    const basePath = hawtio.getBasePath()
+    return basePath ? `${basePath}${PATH_PRESET_CONNECTIONS}` : PATH_PRESET_CONNECTIONS
   }
 
   getCurrentConnectionId(): string | null {
-    return this.currentConnection
+    return this.currentConnectionId
   }
 
   getCurrentConnectionName(): string | null {
-    const id = this.currentConnection
-    const connections = this.loadConnections()
-    if (!id || !connections[id!]) {
+    const id = this.currentConnectionId
+    if (!id) {
       return null
     }
-    return connections[id!]!.name ?? null
+    const connection = this.getConnection(id)
+    return connection?.name ?? null
   }
 
   async getCurrentConnection(): Promise<Connection | null> {
-    const conn = this.currentConnection ? this.getConnection(this.currentConnection) : null
+    const id = this.currentConnectionId
+    const conn = id ? this.getConnection(id) : null
     if (!conn) {
       return null
     }
@@ -225,9 +308,9 @@ class ConnectService implements IConnectService {
     }
   }
 
-  getConnection(name: string): Connection | null {
+  getConnection(id: string): Connection | null {
     const connections = this.loadConnections()
-    return connections[name] ?? null
+    return connections[id] ?? null
   }
 
   connectionToUrl(connection: Connection): string {
@@ -329,13 +412,18 @@ class ConnectService implements IConnectService {
       })
   }
 
-  connect(connection: Connection) {
+  connect(connection: Connection, current = false) {
     log.debug('Connecting with options:', toString(connection))
     const basepath = hawtio.getBasePath() ?? ''
     const url = `${basepath}/?${PARAM_KEY_CONNECTION}=${connection.id}`
-    log.debug('Opening URL:', url)
-    // let's open the same connection in the same tab (2nd parameter)
-    window.open(url, connection.id)
+    if (current) {
+      log.debug('Redirecting to URL:', url)
+      window.location.href = url
+    } else {
+      log.debug('Opening URL:', url)
+      // let's open the same connection in the same tab (2nd parameter)
+      window.open(url, connection.id)
+    }
   }
 
   /**
@@ -351,13 +439,13 @@ class ConnectService implements IConnectService {
     const result = await new Promise<LoginResult>(resolve => {
       // this special header is used to pass credentials to remote Jolokia agent when
       // Authorization header is already "taken" by OIDC/Keycloak authenticator
-      const headers = {
+      const headers: Record<string, string> = {
         'X-Jolokia-Authorization': basicAuthHeaderValue(username, password),
       }
       const token = getCookie('XSRF-TOKEN')
       if (token) {
         // For CSRF protection with Spring Security
-        ;(headers as Record<string, string>)['X-XSRF-TOKEN'] = token
+        headers['X-XSRF-TOKEN'] = token
       }
       this.createJolokia(connection, true).request(
         { type: 'version' },
@@ -421,7 +509,7 @@ class ConnectService implements IConnectService {
         port === url.port &&
         ['http:', 'https:'].includes(protocol) &&
         connectionKey !== '' &&
-        connectionKey === this.currentConnection
+        connectionKey === this.currentConnectionId
       // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars
     } catch (_e) {
       log.error('Invalid URL')
@@ -483,16 +571,16 @@ class ConnectService implements IConnectService {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Get the Jolokia URL for the given connection name.
+   * Get the Jolokia URL for the given connection ID.
    */
-  getJolokiaUrlFromName(name: string): string | null {
-    const connection = this.getConnection(name)
+  getJolokiaUrlFromId(id: string): string | null {
+    const connection = this.getConnection(id)
     return connection ? this.getJolokiaUrl(connection) : null
   }
 
   getLoginPath(): string {
     const basePath = hawtio.getBasePath()
-    return `${basePath}${LOGIN_PATH}`
+    return basePath ? `${basePath}${PATH_LOGIN}` : PATH_LOGIN
   }
 
   export(connections: Connections) {
diff --git a/packages/hawtio/src/plugins/shared/jolokia-service.ts b/packages/hawtio/src/plugins/shared/jolokia-service.ts
index 53e88dc7..730b4d7f 100644
--- a/packages/hawtio/src/plugins/shared/jolokia-service.ts
+++ b/packages/hawtio/src/plugins/shared/jolokia-service.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
 } from '@hawtiosrc/util/jolokia'
 import { isObject, isString } from '@hawtiosrc/util/objects'
 import { parseBoolean } from '@hawtiosrc/util/strings'
+import Jolokia, { IJolokiaSimple, SimpleRequestOptions, SimpleResponseCallback } from '@jolokia.js/simple'
 import {
   BaseRequestOptions,
   ErrorCallback,
@@ -33,7 +34,6 @@ import {
   VersionResponseValue,
   WriteResponseValue,
 } from 'jolokia.js'
-import Jolokia, { IJolokiaSimple, SimpleRequestOptions, SimpleResponseCallback } from '@jolokia.js/simple'
 import { is, object } from 'superstruct'
 import {
   PARAM_KEY_CONNECTION,
@@ -237,10 +237,10 @@ class JolokiaService implements IJolokiaService {
     }
 
     // Check remote connection
-    const conn = connectService.getCurrentConnectionId()
-    if (conn) {
-      log.debug('Connection provided, not discovering Jolokia: con =', conn)
-      return connectService.getJolokiaUrlFromName(conn)
+    const connId = connectService.getCurrentConnectionId()
+    if (connId) {
+      log.debug('Connection provided, not discovering Jolokia: con =', connId)
+      return connectService.getJolokiaUrlFromId(connId)
     }
 
     // Discover Jolokia
@@ -335,26 +335,24 @@ class JolokiaService implements IJolokiaService {
     if (!options.headers) {
       options.headers = {}
     }
+    const headers: Record<string, string> = options.headers as Record<string, string>
 
     // Set Authorization header depending on current setup
     if ((await userService.isLogin()) && userService.getToken()) {
       log.debug('Set authorization header to token')
-      ;(options.headers as Record<string, string>)['Authorization'] = `Bearer ${userService.getToken()}`
+      headers['Authorization'] = `Bearer ${userService.getToken()}`
     }
 
     // for remote Jolokia authorization, we'll always use X-Jolokia-Authorization header
     if (connection && connection.username && connection.password) {
-      ;(options.headers as Record<string, string>)['X-Jolokia-Authorization'] = basicAuthHeaderValue(
-        connection.username,
-        connection.password,
-      )
+      headers['X-Jolokia-Authorization'] = basicAuthHeaderValue(connection.username, connection.password)
     }
 
     const token = getCookie('XSRF-TOKEN')
     if (token) {
       // For CSRF protection with Spring Security
       log.debug('Set XSRF token header from cookies')
-      ;(options.headers as Record<string, string>)['X-XSRF-TOKEN'] = token
+      headers['X-XSRF-TOKEN'] = token
     }
   }
 
@@ -780,7 +778,8 @@ class JolokiaService implements IJolokiaService {
     const fetchError = options.fetchError
     options.fetchError = (response: Response | null, error: DOMException | TypeError | string | null): void => {
       if (typeof fetchError === 'function') {
-        ;(fetchError as FetchErrorCallback)?.(response, error)
+        const callback = fetchError as FetchErrorCallback
+        callback?.(response, error)
       }
       // reject the relevant promise on any HTTP/communication error
       reject()
@@ -1104,7 +1103,8 @@ class DummyJolokia implements IJolokiaSimple {
       typeof params[params.length - 1] === 'object' &&
       'success' in (params[params.length - 1] as SimpleRequestOptions)
     ) {
-      ;(params[params.length - 1] as SimpleRequestOptions)?.success?.({})
+      const options = params[params.length - 1] as SimpleRequestOptions
+      options.success?.({})
     }
   }
 }