Nolan Erck talks about “ColdFusion CommandBox vs Node.js (Dev Feature shootout)” in this episode of the CF Alive Podcast, with host Michaela Light.

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!

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

Preso, videos and demos

http://sacinteractive.com/

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

Twitter

GitHub

Website

LinkedIn

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.

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