ColdFusion Components and OO Java - Closely Related - Not the Same

Recently I have been reviewing ColdFusion 8 - Beyond the Basics by David Gassner and I have ventured into the world of ColdFusion Components (CFC's). I am starting to get a better understanding of how ColdFusion, or CFML Pages, are processed in the JRun server and how CFC's relate somewhat to Object Oriented Java. First of all I had to find out that the CFML alone is not related to Java. However, there is an ability in ColdFusion to integrate in a hybrid environment with Java through the use of CFC's.

Since I am very new to CFC's, I will not attempt to explain the complex architecture that is involved in relating ColdFusion to Java, but rather what it is that I came to realize from the Beyond the Basics series and by doing a little research on CFC's and Java.

In a nutshell, to be able to use Java Components, such as EJB's or Enterprise JavaBeans, offers many advantages to developers that are creating ColdFusion applications. Mainly because Java has several API's which offer a fast and powerful business logic model, and the Java EJB specification is highly scalable, and offers the ability to house data models, communicate between applications, and deploy remotely.

Furthermore, the View/Control layers in ColdFusion offer many benefits over application development in the Java equivalent - JSP - which would require a developer with an strong working knowledge in Java programming to develop an application of similar performance and ability.

Based on the recommendation that I read from Drew Falkman over at the Adobe Developer center, I will definitely be looking to start developing hybrid ColdFusion and Java applications for my future business projects.