Both ColdFusion and ASP.NET are robust and widely used framework technologies. ColdFusion is currently being supported by Adobe, whereas ASP.NET is being developed and maintained by Microsoft. The usage statistics posted on various websites depict that a large percentage of web developers prefer ASP.NET to ColdFusion. At present, Adobe ColdFusion is being used by 220,149 live websites, whereas ASP.NET is being used by 39,879,138 live websites. However, you should not consider migrating from ColdFusion to ASP.NET just because of its popularity and market share.
You should think about migrating from ColdFusion to ASP.NET to simplify application development, deployment, and management by availing several robust features and tools. Microsoft originally developed ASP.NET as a Windows-based commercial web framework. But you can now use the completely reworked version of ASP.NET – ASP.NET Core – as an open source framework for building web applications and mobile back-ends. Also, you can run ASP.NET Core applications on three major platforms – Windows, Linux and MacOS. There are also a number of reasons why you must consider migrating from ColdFusion to ASP.NET Core.
7 Reasons Why You Must Consider Migrating from ColdFusion to ASP.NET Core
1) No Licensing Cost
Adobe allows you to choose from several editions of ColdFusion – enterprise, standard and builder. But the features provided by individual editions of the commercial web framework differ. You cannot avail the advanced features required to build complex enterprise applications without purchasing the enterprise editions. On the other hand, Microsoft allows developers to use ASP.NET Core as an open source and community focused framework. Hence, they can use ASP.NET Core without increasing project overheads, while customizing the web framework according to precise project needs. They even have option to integrate ASP.NET Core seamlessly with several open source web development tools and libraries.
2) A Unified Programming Model
Most web developers nowadays opt for frameworks that support model-view-controller (MVC) architecture. MVC architecture makes it easier for developers to build large and complex applications by organizing their component as models, views, and controllers. They even have option to develop and maintain custom web applications efficiently by separating their business logic and user interface layers. Adobe ColdFusion is yet to support MVC architectural pattern. But ASP.NET Core comes with a unified programming model – ASP.NET Core MVC – that enables developers to build web applications and application programming interfaces (APIs) based on MVC architectural pattern. The developers can even use ASP.NET Core MVC to build testable and maintainable web applications and APIs. Here is an interesting article on why you should migrate to ASP .Net Core MVC.
3) A Page-First Structure
Microsoft further complements ASP.NET Core MVC with Razor Pages. While working with ASP.NET Core 2.0, the developers can use Razor Pages to implement a page-first structure and write razor syntax based code. Razor Pages still lacks some of the robust features provided by ASP.NET Core MVC. But the developers can always use Razor Pages as a lightweight alternative to MVC. They can even use the new programming model as the view component in ASP.NET MVC. In addition to containing model and controller code, Razor Pages also enables two-way data binding. It even executes methods and binds properties to the page content at the time of rendering through PageModel. Hence, the developers can use the version 2.0 of ASP.NET Core to accelerate development of both simple and complex applications.
4) Modern Programming Languages
While using ColdFusion, the programmers can write applications in either ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) or CFScript. Both CFML and CFScript lack the robust and advanced features provided by modern programming languages. Hence, developers often have to write additional code to complete common web development tasks. But ASP.NET Core allows programmers to write applications in a modern programming language like C#. In addition to providing a number of robust language features, C# also helps programmers to keep the code base organized and maintainable. Hence, C# helps developers to overcome the major shortcomings of CFML and CFScript.
5) Cloud-Ready Configuration
Adobe allows web developers to build and deploy enterprise applications in the cloud through ColdFusion on Amazon Web Services. The developers have to purchase the specific edition of ColdFusion to use ColdFusion server on Amazon Web Services. But Microsoft allows ASP .Net developers to deploy ASP.NET Core applications in a number of ways. ASP.NET Core further features a cloud-ready environment-based configuration system. The built-in cloud ready configuration system makes it easier for developers to deploy web applications, mobile back-ends, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications in various cloud platforms.
6) Robust Integrated Development Environment
ColdFusion was originally developed as a web framework. But the developers subsequently made ColdFusion a complete web development platform by including an integrated development environment (IDE). Hence, the developers can use ColdFusion to build and deploy both web applications and mobile apps end to end. Unlike ColdFusion, ASP.NET Core does not come with a built-in IDE. But it simplifies web application and mobile app development through a robust IDE – Visual Studio. In addition to providing a wide range of features and tools, Visual Studio also has been evolving consistently to improve software development and deployment process. The ColdFusion developers can even take advantage of the community edition of the robust and popular IDE without paying licensing fees.
7) Built-in Code Debugging Tool
Most enterprises nowadays require developers to deliver custom software applications in sprints. Hence, the developers have to assess the quality of code and repair coding errors throughout the software development lifecycle. The debugging tools provided by modern web frameworks help developers to locate and correct coding errors quickly and efficiently. Unlike other modern web frameworks, ColdFusion does not provide any built-in debugging tool. But it allows developers to use a number of third-party debugging tools. The developers often find it challenging to pick the right debugging tool for ColdFusion. On the other hand, ASP.NET Core supports both remote and snapshot debugging, while allowing programmers to debug its source code.
On the whole, you must consider migrating from ColdFusion to ASP.NET Core to simplify development, deployment, and management of modern applications. As an open source web framework, ASP.NET Core will help you to reduce overall development cost. At the same time, the tools provided by ASP.NET Core will help you to build applications quickly and efficiently based on varied business requirements. However, it is always important to keep in mind the major differences between ASP.NET Core and ColdFusion when you decide to migrate from ColdFusion to ASP.NET Core.