The long wait is over. Lucee 6.0 is here! Finally!
Let's see what makes Lucee such a force in the programming world, then see its newest tricks.
Everything You Need To Know About Lucee
In this blog post, we will learn:
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- What is open source?
- What makes open-source different?
- What is Lucee?
- What is Lucee used for?
- What makes Lucee different from ColdFusion?
- Is it up-to-date?
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Contents
Are you a CIO who instinctively looks at price tags? It's OK to admit you are. We'd all be a little better off minding where our money is spent.
Maybe it's instinct. Perhaps you're working on a shoestring budget. Or the company is reshuffling expenses to fund a daring new project. Maybe you need flexible cloud licensing.
You're often asked to mind the expense side of the ledger. Sometimes, people will see specific items and ask, “Did we really need to spend that much?” This may include your choice of programming language.
The upfront costs of using Adobe ColdFusion can seem steep: $250000 for CF Standard and $9500 for the Enterprise edition. While we've harped on and on about why CF is better than other languages and worth the money, maybe you don't have that much cash lying around.
Say hello to Lucee. No, it's not some ace developer with a misspelled name. It's ColdFusion's open-source sibling.
Lucee is a free, low-calorie, and lightweight CFML engine that can do many of the same tricks as CF at 100% less cost.
What is CFML open source/Lucee?
Open-source refers to free software, apps, or products whose source code is open and editable. Other developers can tinker, edit, or add to the app, expanding its capabilities well beyond whatever the original code allowed.
What is Lucee used for?
Making something open source creates a hive mind that swarms around the product, morphing and forcing its evolution until it does some neat, unexpected tricks. It also keeps costs down, with a volunteer community replacing a staff of employees. The most often used example is the Firefox browser, which has a community of developers dedicated to keeping it up-to-date and relevant.
ColdFusion has its open-source equivalent: Lucee, a divergence from the veteran open-source CFML engine Railo.
Lucee is a free, open-source CFML engine supported by the Lucee Association Switzerland.
Lucee and ColdFusion: siblings, not twins
You might be tempted to think Lucee is just a free version of ColdFusion. You'd be wrong. But it has its perks.
If you're new to ColdFusion and CFML, Lucee could be your gateway drug! Its open-source equivalent includes many of the goodies that make CF a modern, helpful programming language.
Certain benefits are only available when using the paid version of Adobe ColdFusion; otherwise, they remain locked.
Otherwise, think of Lucee as a doctor-recommended addition to your CFML diet. It costs you almost nothing and improves a situation that's already good. So, if you run on a tight budget, using Lucee can only help you in your next project.
Here's what you need to know about Lucee:
- It uses the same language
ColdFusion and Lucee both use CFML to interact with a Java Virtual Machine. The languages use CF tags and CFScript for efficient coding. Based on fewer keystrokes alone, this makes ACF and Lucee infinitely more efficient than competitors! - Lucee is popular
According to our State of the CF Union Survey, over 40% of all CFML developers use some version of Lucee. This means a strong and active group of developers is available to help with any project involving Lucee. “Join the community, get involved” is their official invitation for everyone who wants to contribute either as a community supporter or by contributing with the source code, etc. - Its ancestor is still around
Lucee was created from a now-defunct open-source CFML engine called Railo. Though it may be gone, many of my guests on the CF Alive podcast and I encounter remnants of Railo out in the wild. It's been over a decade since the folks at Lucee broke off to do their own thing, and some of our clients still have Railo-based spaghetti code out! - It's a Java Servlet
Lucee, like ACF, is a middleman between data and web servers, fetching whatever information an app needs to function. It runs as a servlet on top of Java, which makes it incredibly useful.
Lucee ≠ ColdFusion
While Lucee has a pocketful of ColdFusion-like tricks, they aren't the same. Don't think of open source as a substitute for the real deal. Lucee's sweet price tag ($0) has some downsides and advantages.
What makes Lucee different from CF?
- Easier to install
Lucee checks server connections for you and lets the installer run as a stand-alone application. ColdFusion requires a few more steps, such as checking server connections and other considerations for Windows and Unix machines, before you can install it. - It's free!
Anyone with a compatible machine can download Lucee today at no cost. If you like Lucee, it is good to sponsor the Lucee Association Switzerland to help fund their work and advance Lucee. - Community-based support
Buying a paid version of ColdFusion includes support from Adobe's dedicated team, which is very responsive. Lucee has something similar, though less formal, via the Lucee Association in Switzerland. The developers there make up a vibrant and helpful community, yet it's a little less formal than dealing with Adobe. - Cloud clustering
Because of its fast startup time, smaller footprint, and free licensing model, Lucee is ideal for cloud-based ColdFusion deployment.
Is Lucee better than Adobe ColdFusion in every way?
No, there are drawbacks.
For example, Adobe pushes its updates to users as they are released, removing a lot of guesswork and logistical overhead for companies.
Related: Adobe ColdFusion 2021
With Lucee, users have to check for updates on their own. The Lucee Association in Switzerland, for all its vibrancy, is putting a lot of effort into communicating updates to users. Their team includes Michael Offner, a TeraTech friend and CF Alive! guest Gert Franz.
Related: CFML debugging Jedi tricks with Gert Franz
Gert and Michael lead a group of volunteers dedicated to keeping Lucee up-to-date and relevant. Although Adobe does not make it, Lucee is compatible with current and legacy versions of CFML.
Adobe employs a team and the necessary resources to improve ColdFusion at regular two-year intervals. Lucee, with its volunteer group, pushes out monthly minor version updates and a major version release every few years—though it's not the same as having an entire company working on it.
That does not mean Lucee isn't modern, though!
Meet the new Lucee
Lucee CFML 6, the latest .0-update, was announced at CFCamp in Munich in June 2023. This latest, long-awaited version of Lucee, named Swansea Jack, contains many new features and is thoroughly modernized's update includes
- Better integration of popular ColdFusion tools like CommandBox and Docker, which make coding and testing faster than ever.
- Speed — not only in how fast Lucee runs but also in the quickness of apps it makes.
- New tricks developers will appreciate, like event-driven architecture and native support for JavaStreams.
- A security boost, with lockdown settings, quarantine mode, and a password vault, among other improvements.
All in all, Lucee is a helpful alternative for cash-strapped companies and those seeking a cleaner, mistake-free CFML builder. You can still use CFML without the upfront costs. Perhaps even use Lucey to showcase CFML's potential and justify the investment in ColdFusion.
Those curious could also use Lucee as an introduction to CFML before buying Adobe ColdFusion.
Regardless of your reasons, you won't regret the short amount of time it takes to get to know Lucee and the foundations it will set for a switch to ColdFusion.
How do I download Lucee CFML?
Download and Install Lucee Server:Lucee can be installed and run almost everywhere that can run a supported Java Version. You can even run Lucee on a small RasberryPI. Because of its great flexibility, Lucee Server comes in different flavors to match your needs (Lucee Express, Lucee Installer, CommandBox, Lucee.jar/Lucee.war). This document will help you decide which one best suits your purpose.
Read the complete information on the Lucee website.
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