Nolan Erck talks about “ColdFusion CommandBox vs Node.js (Dev Feature shootout)” in this episode of the CF Alive Podcast, with host Michaela Light.
Contents
- Show notes
- Installing Node
- Installing CommandBox
- 1. Ease of install
- 2. Command Line
- 3. Running files
- 4. Built-in Help
- 5. How they work
- Node
- CommandBox
- 6. Ease to set up a new project
- 7. Dealing with dependencies (frameworks and libraries required for production)
- Node
- CommandBox
- 8. Dev dependencies (dev tools)
- 9. Package management
- 10. Docker containers
- 11. Making Games
- 12. Contributing
- Which to use?
- Uses for Node.js
- Uses for CommandBox
- How to learn (Resources)
- Mentioned in this episode
- Listen to the Audio
- Bio
- Links
- Interview transcript
Show notes
- The myth that JS has all the cool tools and CF is dying
- Node.js has lots of cool dev tools
- CommandBox
What is Node.js
- JavaScript based webserver and dev tools, CLI
- Very popular and lots of updates
What is CommandBox?
- CFML based webserver and dev tools, CLI
Installing Node
Installing CommandBox
1. Ease of install
- Both Easy to install
- Both Open source and free
- Score: CommandBox 1 Node 1
2. Command Line
- Both have REPL – read–eval–print loop
- Both Run Batch files
- CommandBox BulletTrain add on – more colors and more informative prompt
- Score: CommandBox 2 Node 2
3. Running files
- Both Easy from the command line
- Replaces other script languages such as BASH with one you already know (JS or CFScript
- Eg file processing, production deployment, photo file processing
- Score: CommandBox 3 Node 3
4. Built-in Help
- Node –help
- Box help
- Help name spaces
- Score: CommandBox 4 Node 4
5. How they work
-
Node
- Running a JavaScript application engine on your computer (or
- server)
- Code is processed thru the engine
- Spins up different services as needed
- Customizable per project via “.json” con
-
CommandBox
- Running a CFML application engine on your computer (or
- server)
- Code is processed thru the engine
- Spins up different services as needed (modules, packages)
- Customizable per project via “.json” con
- Score: CommandBox 5 Node 5
6. Ease to set up a new project
- npm init
- Wizard interface asks questions
- Node json file
- NPM = Node Package Manager www.npmjs.com
- box init
- Same with box json file
- Score: CommandBox 6 Node 6
7. Dealing with dependencies (frameworks and libraries required for production)
-
Node
- In package.json, “dependencies” section
- Things your app needs to run
- jquery, lodash, Angular, libaries from your team, etc
- “npm install”
- Node goes out to “the registry” and grabs those assets
- Puts them in “node_modules” folder
-
CommandBox
- In box.json, “dependencies” section
- Things your app needs to run
- jquery, lodash, Angular, libraries from your team, etc
- “box install”
- CommandBox goes out to “the cloud” and grabs those assets
- Puts them in “installPaths” folders
- Score: CommandBox 7 Node 7
8. Dev dependencies (dev tools)
- Tools and libraries you want on dev machines but not production
- Eg Testing frameworks
- Node
- In package.json, “devDependencies” section
- Things your app needs to build
- CLI Tools, Typescript transpiler, Code Analyzer, Linter,etc
- Angular CLI, TypeScript, Webpack, etc
- “npm install –dev [thing]”
- Node goes out to “the registry” and grabs those assets
- Puts them in “node_modules” folder
- CommandBox
- In box.json, “devDependencies” section
- Things your app needs to build
- jquery, lodash, Angular, libaries from your team, etc
- “box install –saveDev [thing]”
- CommandBox goes out to “the cloud” and grabs those assets
- Puts them in “installPaths” folders
- Score: CommandBox 8 Node 8
9. Package management
- Node
- npm Registry
- Magic place in “the cloud” where reusable JavaScript lives
- “npm install [some library]”
- Node talks to “the registry”, downloads the lib
- These dependencies live in the “node_modules” folder of your project
- Adding My Project to npm
- Create a package.json le
- Follow a few basic guidlines
- README, semantic version, Author,
- etc
- More details
- CommandBox
- ForgeBox
- CommandBox has a Registry: ForgeBox
- The “npm” of the CF world
- Not just *Box stuff!
- Can install CFWheels, Mura, FW/1, etc
- Any general CFML project can live here
- ForgeBox replaces
- CFLib, (RIAForge), GetMura etc
- How do I add my project to ForgeBox?
- Create a box.json
- Follow a few basic guidlines
- README, semantic version, Author,
- etc
- More details
- Score: CommandBox 9 Node 9
10. Docker containers
- hub.docker.com/_/node
- hub.docker.com/r/ortussolutions/commandbox/
- Score: CommandBox 10 Node 10
11. Making Games
- Node
- Tons of resources
- Many game engines support JavaScript
- Can get as simple or advanced as you like
- CommandBox
- box snake
- Vintage gaming at its finest!
- Minh Vo's preso on React at Gov't Summit
- draftstudios.com
- Giancarlo Gomez's preso on WebSockets:
- “Refreshing Your UI: Modern Uses for WebSockets”
- Score: CommandBox 11 Node 11
12. Contributing
- Node
- Main engine is written in C++, not JavaScript
- Add-ons can be JavaScript but not the core
- e.g the Angular CLI, create-react-app
- CommandBox
- 90% of the core is CFML
- Remaining 10% is Java
- Installing CommandBox also gives you the source code!
- 90% of the core is CFML
- Score: CommandBox 12 Node 12
But my custom commands have to be ColdBox apps, right?
- NO!
Which to use?
- Both
- They serve different purposes
- CommandBox is…
- Free, open source, well
- supported
- Supports all CFML engines
- Lucee and Railo
- Adobe CF as far back as version 9
- CommandBox Really is a Game-Changer
- You can do all the cool things that Node/JavaScript developers do
Uses for Node.js
-
- It's ubiquitous with modern front-end development
- Front-end tooling requires Node
- Angular, Vue, React, PhoneGap, Grunt, Gulp, Stylus, SASS,
- SCSS, LESS, WebPack, Babel, TypeScript, etc
- This is a “given” nowadays
Uses for CommandBox
-
- This is the way to tell modern CFML developers from legacy programmers
- Spinning up Dev environments, testing everything,
- containerization, onboarding new team members
- Managing production web servers
- Building CLI tools for development AND production servers!
How to learn (Resources)
-
- South of Shasta – onsite and remote training
- nodejs.org
- docs.npmjs.com
- commandbox.ortusbooks.com
- Ortus Solutions training
- Brad Wood's Blog
- Talk to people at the conference!
What are you looking forward to at CF Summit?
Mentioned in this episode
Listen to the Audio
Bio
Nolan Erck
Chief consultant at South of Shasta Nolan Erck has been developing software for 19 years. Starting in the video game industry working on titles for Maxis and LucasArts, then advancing to web development in 1999, his list of credits includes Grim Fandango, StarWars Rogue Squadron, SimPark, SimSafari as well as high-traffic websites for clients. Nolan manages the SacInteractive User Group, teaches classes on aspects of software development, and regularly gives presentations at conferences and user groups across the country.
Links
Interview transcript
Michaela Light: 00:00 Okay. Welcome back to the show. I'm here with Nolan Hook from the south of Shasta and we're going to be talking about ColdFusion command box versus no js and all the cool development things you can do with each. And we're doing a developer feature shootout today to see which one is the better one to use field development process. So if you have not met Nolan a, he has been developing software for more than 20 years and he started off from the video game industry but quickly came into web development and he now runs the sat interactive user group in Sacramento and he teaches classes on all kinds of software development. Cool stuff. And he is a prolific presenter. I lost [inaudible] into the box in Texas, but I think you're going to a CF Summit in Las Vegas on you as well now.
Nolan Erck: 00:51 Yes, I am.
Michaela Light: 00:52 Excellente. Well welcome back to the show. So, um, maybe we should just, uh, start off with the breaking some myths because uh, we want people to be crying at home cause they miss the broken. Um, no, you don't have to cry, but we didn't want to dispel a few myths. So I think one of the myths out there is that JavaScript has all cool tools like no js, uh, and the ColdFusion is dying and has no tools and is naked in the wilderness.
Read more
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
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Learn about these and many more strategies in our free ColdFusion Alive Best Practices Checklist.
