The .NET framework is one of the web’s most popular developing platforms. It consists of many different languages under one umbrella framework. C# is one of these languages. Others include VB.NET and F#. It gets a lot of support as a great general programming language. But is it really that great? Let’s take a look at a few points of comparison between C# and Adobe ColdFusion.
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Adobe ColdFusion |
C# |
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| Ease of Use | ||
| Ask any programmer with CFML experience what is the easiest programming language to learn. There’s a pretty good chance that ColdFusion will be their answer. It’s super user-friendly and very flexible. It provides the quality life to attract beginning coders and the computing power to satisfy even the most stringent needs of developers. | If you’re looking for a simple way to program, this is not the language for you. C# is a very heavy and rigid language. It is very unforgiving when it comes to programming. Not to mention that the lines of code are often long and complex when compared to a language such as CFML. This leads to long thought to production times for your applications. | |
| PDF and Document Support | ||
There is no other platform available that has the document and PDF support out of the box that ColdFusion has. It can handle many important document conversions and manipulations including:
All of these require no extra tooling. This can all be done natively through ColdFusion with a single CF tag. |
Utilizing PDF and Documents with C# is no cakewalk. Many developers recommend an Intermediate level of knowledge before attempting this. That’s primarily because C# has no native support at all for PDF and a .NET SDK must first be installed just to do the task. Not only that, but it must be configured to make the conversions or manipulations. Afterwards, large blocks of code are required to complete the task. All in all… a lot of work. | |
| Operating System Limitations | ||
| Adobe ColdFusion has no operating system restrictions. It can run on the three major platforms of Windows, Mac OS, and Linux without any problems. | Being a Microsoft product and part of the .NET framework, it goes without saying, that C# runs best on Windows. NET core runs great on Linux and .NET Code is a top notch IDE on Windows, Mac, and Linux. (thanks Shawn Gorrell for this comment!)
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| Security | ||
| Adobe takes their security concerns with ColdFusion and CFML very seriously. This sentiment attributes to ColdFusion being one of (if not, the most) secure programming platforms available today. With the latest release of ACF, Adobe implemented a new auto server lockdown feature. This function automatically takes you step by step through the ColdFusion Lockdown Procedure. The option to lockdown manually is still available as well. Plus with the constant security updates Adobe puts out, it’ll be hard to find a platform more secure. | Being part of the .NET framework is definitely working against C# here. The .NET framework has been known to have the most security vulnerabilities out of any programming option. Many of these security vulnerabilities can be directly tied to the use of extremely verbose coding syntax. | |
| Object-Oriented Programming | ||
| ColdFusion was not originally designed as an Object Oriented Programming (OOP) Language. As a matter of fact, OOP wasn’t really a thing until Macromedia’s ColdFusion MX and the introduction of ColdFusion Components (CFC). CFC’s do not turn ColdFusion into an OOP language, but they do allow for CF’ers to use many of the advantages allowed to Object Oriented programmers. | C# definitely isn’t without its merits. It provides full encompassing support for Object Oriented Programming through inheritance, polymorphism and encapsulation. OOP is the core feature of the .NET framework (and that includes C#). So before jumping into C#, make sure you do some research into what makes OOP so awesome. |
So, if you’re a Windows developer who’s into unwieldy blocks of code, security vulnerabilities, and don’t care about document and PDF support…
C# is the language for you.
However, if you’re looking for an easy to use, flexible platform with superior document support… ColdFusion may be your best bet.
It’s funny how a language as strong and secure as ColdFusion gets pushed aside in favor of other languages. What do you think the number one cause of this phenomenon is? Let us know in the comments below. Also, if you have any experience with C#… let us know how that was. We’d sure love to hear it.
For all the latest in CF news, be sure to listen in to the CF Alive podcast and follow us on Twitter at @TeraTechCF.
And to continue learning how to make your ColdFusion apps more modern and alive, I encourage you to download our free ColdFusion Alive Best Practices Checklist.
Because… perhaps you are responsible for a mission-critical or revenue-generating CF application that you don’t trust 100%, where implementing new features is a painful ad-hoc process with slow turnaround even for simple requests.
What if you have no contingency plan for a sudden developer departure or a server outage? Perhaps every time a new freelancer works on your site, something breaks. Or your application availability, security, and reliability are poor.
And if you are depending on ColdFusion for your job, then you can’t afford to let your CF development methods die on the vine.
You’re making a high-stakes bet that everything is going to be OK using the same old app creation ways in that one language — forever.
All it would take is for your fellow CF developer to quit or for your CIO to decide to leave the (falsely) perceived sinking ship of CFML and you could lose everything—your project, your hard-won CF skills, and possibly even your job.
Luckily, there are a number of simple, logical steps you can take now to protect yourself from these obvious risks.
No Brainer ColdFusion Best Practices to Ensure You Thrive No Matter What Happens Next
ColdFusion Alive Best Practices Checklist
Modern ColdFusion development best practices that reduce stress, inefficiency, project lifecycle costs while simultaneously increasing project velocity and innovation.
√ Easily create a consistent server architecture across development, testing, and production
√ A modern test environment to prevent bugs from spreading
√ Automated continuous integration tools that work well with CF
√ A portable development environment baked into your codebase… for free!
Learn about these and many more strategies in our free ColdFusion Alive Best Practices Checklist.
