Let’s set the record straight.
Despite what you may have heard — whether from recruiters, developers stuck in the “latest trend” mindset, or those who haven’t touched ColdFusion since the early 2000s —
ColdFusion is not a dying technology. It’s not outdated, it’s not a liability, and it’s certainly not something to be dismissed as “legacy” just because it’s been around for a while.
What ColdFusion Is Not
- ❌ It’s not obsolete.
- ❌ It’s not stuck in the past.
- ❌ It’s not just for maintaining old systems.
- ❌ It’s not insecure — Adobe provides regular updates and strong security.
- ❌ It’s not a barrier to innovation — quite the opposite.
- ❌ It’s not expensive — thanks to Lucee, the open-source CFML engine that’s completely free.
What ColdFusion Is
- ✅ A modern, rapid development platform for building web apps fast.
- ✅ Built on Java — scalable, powerful, and enterprise-ready.
- ✅ Available in both commercial (Adobe ColdFusion) and open-source (Lucee) versions.
- ✅ Lucee is free, lightweight, and widely loved in the CFML community.
- ✅ Supports REST APIs, WebSockets, JSON, OAuth, PDF generation, and more out of the box.
- ✅ Dual-syntax: tag-based or script-based — your choice.
- ✅ Cuts down boilerplate so you can develop faster and have more fun doing it.
- ✅ Continuously evolving, with strong communities behind both Adobe and Lucee.
- ✅ A secure, flexible platform for serious, data-driven applications.
- ✅ Free to start — Lucee removes the cost barrier.
Who Uses ColdFusion?
ColdFusion is trusted by global enterprises and government agencies where reliability, speed, and security are non-negotiable:
- Amazon
- Apple
- AT&T
- Bank of America
- BMW
- U.S. Department of State
- U.S. Air Force
- Cisco
- Harvard University
- HP
- Siemens
- Verizon
- Walmart
Lucee vs. Adobe ColdFusion
| Feature | Adobe ColdFusion | Lucee (Open Source) |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing | Commercial, paid | Free and open-source |
| Support | Adobe enterprise support | Community and third-party |
| Performance | Enterprise-optimized | Lightweight, often faster |
| Features | Advanced tools (PDF, SAML, Office) | Core web features, Java extensible |
| Updates | Official Adobe releases | Community-driven updates |
The Truth: Popular ≠ Better
ColdFusion delivers. It doesn’t need buzzwords to prove its value. With Lucee, cost and complexity are no longer barriers to high-performance development.
Resources
Final Thoughts
ColdFusion isn’t legacy — it’s legendary. Proven, reliable, and still driving innovation where it counts.
Thinking About Using ColdFusion?
We’ve been building ColdFusion apps for over two decades. Whether you’re exploring Lucee, upgrading Adobe ColdFusion, or launching something new — we’d love to talk.
About the Author
Let’s set the record straight.
Despite what you may have heard — whether from recruiters, developers stuck in the “latest trend” mindset, or those who haven’t touched ColdFusion since the early 2000s —
ColdFusion is not a dying technology. It’s not outdated, it’s not a liability, and it’s certainly not something to be dismissed as “legacy” just because it’s been around for a while.
What ColdFusion Is Not
- ❌ It’s not obsolete.
- ❌ It’s not stuck in the past.
- ❌ It’s not just for maintaining old systems.
- ❌ It’s not insecure — Adobe provides regular updates and strong security.
- ❌ It’s not a barrier to innovation — quite the opposite.
- ❌ It’s not expensive — thanks to Lucee, the open-source CFML engine that’s completely free.
What ColdFusion Is
- ✅ A modern, rapid development platform for building web apps fast.
- ✅ Built on Java — scalable, powerful, and enterprise-ready.
- ✅ Available in both commercial (Adobe ColdFusion) and open-source (Lucee) versions.
- ✅ Lucee is free, lightweight, and widely loved in the CFML community.
- ✅ Supports REST APIs, WebSockets, JSON, OAuth, PDF generation, and more out of the box.
- ✅ Dual-syntax: tag-based or script-based — your choice.
- ✅ Cuts down boilerplate so you can develop faster and have more fun doing it.
- ✅ Continuously evolving, with strong communities behind both Adobe and Lucee.
- ✅ A secure, flexible platform for serious, data-driven applications.
- ✅ Free to start — Lucee removes the cost barrier.
Who Uses ColdFusion?
ColdFusion is trusted by global enterprises and government agencies where reliability, speed, and security are non-negotiable:
- Amazon
- Apple
- AT&T
- Bank of America
- BMW
- U.S. Department of State
- U.S. Air Force
- Cisco
- Harvard University
- HP
- Siemens
- Verizon
- Walmart
Lucee vs. Adobe ColdFusion
| Feature | Adobe ColdFusion | Lucee (Open Source) |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing | Commercial, paid | Free and open-source |
| Support | Adobe enterprise support | Community and third-party |
| Performance | Enterprise-optimized | Lightweight, often faster |
| Features | Advanced tools (PDF, SAML, Office) | Core web features, Java extensible |
| Updates | Official Adobe releases | Community-driven updates |
The Truth: Popular ≠ Better
ColdFusion delivers. It doesn’t need buzzwords to prove its value. With Lucee, cost and complexity are no longer barriers to high-performance development.
Resources
Final Thoughts
ColdFusion isn’t legacy — it’s legendary. Proven, reliable, and still driving innovation where it counts.
Thinking About Using ColdFusion?
We’ve been building ColdFusion apps for over two decades. Whether you’re exploring Lucee, upgrading Adobe ColdFusion, or launching something new — we’d love to talk.
About the Author
