ContentBox RSS Feed https://www.ortussolutions.com Ortus Solutions, Corp (www.ortussolutions.com) http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification FeedGenerator Fri, 22 May 2026 22:37:01 GMT Fri, 22 May 2026 22:37:01 GMT JWT authentication is everywhere. But rolling it correctly — with proper algorithm enforcement, key management, clock skew handling, JWE encryption, and zero security footguns — is anything but trivial. Today, we're shipping bx-jwt, a production-ready JWT/JWE module for BoxLang that handles all of it out of the box, so you can focus on building, not fighting cryptography. https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/introducing-bx-jwt-enterprise-grade-json-web-tokens-for-boxlang Fri, 22 May 2026 20:19:00 GMT lmajano@ortussolutions.com (Luis Majano) BoxLang Community Into The Box News Releases https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/introducing-bx-jwt-enterprise-grade-json-web-tokens-for-boxlang “Modernize or Die” is not about forcing teams into MVC, chasing trends, or rewriting every CFML application from scratch. It means making sure your applications, teams, and processes can survive the future: easier to maintain, test, secure, deploy, document, hire for, and evolve. In 2026, modernization is less about adopting the newest pattern and more about reducing business risk, protecting the value already built into your systems, and ensuring CFML applications remain credible, sustainable, and attractive to the next generation of developers. For years, Ortus Solutions has used the phrase “Modernize or Die.” It is intentionally sharp. It is memorable. It is a little tongue-in-cheek. But it also raises a fair question: What does it actually mean? Does it mean every CFML application needs to be rewritten? No. Does it mean everyone must use MVC? No. Does it mean monoliths are bad? Absolutely not. Does it mean CFML is dead? Quite the opposite. “Modernize or Die” is not a threat. It is a warning. More importantly, it is an invitation. It is an invitation to look honestly at the applications, teams, tools, workflows, and habits that keep businesses running every day and ask a difficult question: Are we building systems that can survive the next decade, or are we simply keeping the past alive? That distinction matters more than ever in 2026. Modernization Is Not About MVC A common misunderstanding is that modernization means adopting a specific architectural pattern, framework, or development style. For example, in the CFML world, discussions about modernization often drift toward MVC. That is understandable. Frameworks like ColdBox helped many CFML developers move from unstructured, template-driven applications toward cleaner separation of concerns, better routing, reusable models, testable services, and more maintainable codebases. But let’s be clear: MVC is not the modernization. Maintainability is. MVC itself is not new. It has been around for decades. It predates the modern web. It is not modern simply because it uses the letters M, V, and C. But the principles behind it still matter: Keep business logic out of views. Keep presentation concerns separate from domain logic. Make code easier to test. Make applications easier to reason about. Make onboarding easier for developers who did not write the original system. Those ideas are not outdated. They are foundational. In 2026, a modern application may use MVC, ADR, server-side rendering, HTMX, Vue, React, APIs, microservices, a modular monolith, or some combination of all of them. The specific pattern is less important than the outcome. Can your team understand the system? Can you change it safely? Can you test it? Can you deploy it confidently? Can a new developer join the project and recognize what is going on? That is where modernization begins. Modernization Is Not Chasing Trends Another mistake is thinking modernization means chasing whatever is popular this year. That is not modernization. That is panic. Modernization does not mean rewriting your application every time a new JavaScript framework gets attention. It does not mean replacing a working system just because someone on the internet declared your stack “legacy.” It does not mean turning every monolith into microservices, every page into a SPA, or every function into an AI agent. Modernization is not about being fashionable. It is about being sustainable. A modern system is not necessarily the newest system. It is a system that can keep evolving without collapsing under its own weight. That might mean adopting newer tools. It might mean upgrading your runtime. It might mean containerizing your application. It might mean adding tests. It might mean cleaning up old code. It might mean breaking apart tightly coupled logic. It might mean improving security. It might mean documenting what only one person currently knows. Sometimes modernization is exciting. Sometimes it is boring. Usually, the boring parts are the ones that save you. The Real Risk Is Not That Your App Stops Running Tomorrow Many legacy applications still work. They process orders. They generate reports. They run internal workflows. They power customer portals. They move money, data, documents, approvals, bookings, inventory, and entire business processes. So when someone says “modernize,” it is easy to respond: Why? It still works. And that may be true. But the most dangerous legacy systems do not usually fail all at once. They decay slowly. The risk is not always that the application suddenly stops running tomorrow. The bigger risk is that it becomes harder and harder to change. Harder to secure. Harder to deploy. Harder to integrate. Harder to hire for. Harder to explain. Harder to test. Harder to trust. Eventually, the business does not avoid change because change is unnecessary. It avoids change because change is terrifying. That is when an application becomes a liability. Not because it was written in CFML. Not because it is old. Not because it uses a monolith. But because nobody can confidently move it forward. The Question Every Team Should Ask Here is one of the most useful modernization questions a team can ask: If your lead developer retired next week, would another developer want to take over this application? Not “could they eventually figure it out after six months of pain.” Not “could they keep the lights on if nothing major changes.” Would they want to work on it? Would they recognize the structure? Would they understand where things belong? Would they know how to run it locally? Would they know how to test it? Would they know how to deploy it? Would they know where business logic lives? Would they be able to make a change without fear? This question cuts through marketing language. It gets to the truth. A system can be profitable and fragile at the same time. A system can be mission-critical and poorly understood. A system can be “working” while quietly becoming impossible to maintain. Modernization is about reducing that risk before the business has no choice. What Modernization Means in 2026 In 2026, modernization is bigger than any one framework or language feature. For CFML teams, modernization often means improving several areas at once. It means moving toward applications that are: Easier to understand Easier to test Easier to deploy Easier to secure Easier to monitor Easier to scale Easier to integrate Easier to hand off Easier to hire for Easier to evolve That can include architectural improvements, but it also includes tooling, team practices, infrastructure, documentation, automation, and security. A modern CFML application may still be a monolith. It may still render HTML on the server. It may still use familiar patterns. It may still run business logic that has existed for years. The difference is that it is no longer trapped by its own history. A Practical Modernization Scorecard Modernization becomes clearer when we stop talking in slogans and start looking at practical areas of improvement. Area Legacy Warning Sign Modernization Goal Architecture Business logic mixed into views and templates Clear separation of concerns Deployment Manual file copies, FTP, fragile release steps Repeatable CI/CD pipelines Testing Changes validated by clicking around manually Automated tests for critical workflows Security Old runtimes, outdated libraries, unsupported dependencies Supported, patched, monitored systems Onboarding Only one or two people understand the application Recognizable patterns and useful documentation Development Workflow Local setup is painful or undocumented Developers can run and test locally Integrations Point-to-point code scattered across the app Clean APIs and service boundaries Observability Errors discovered by users Logs, metrics, alerts, and visibility Performance Guesswork and emergency tuning Measured bottlenecks and repeatable improvements Hiring New developers avoid the codebase A system developers can understand and improve This is what modernization looks like in the real world. Not a buzzword. Not a rewrite mandate. Not a framework sales pitch. A set of practical improvements that make the application healthier and the team more effective. Modernization Does Not Require a Rewrite One of the biggest fears around modernization is that it means starting over. Sometimes a rewrite is necessary. But often, it is not. In fact, rewriting a working business-critical application from scratch can be one of the riskiest decisions a team makes. Modernization can happen incrementally. You can start by adding automated tests around critical workflows. You can introduce a better deployment process. You can move local development into a more repeatable environment. You can separate business logic from presentation logic. You can document the areas of the system that only one person understands. You can upgrade runtime versions. You can replace fragile integrations. You can improve security headers, dependency management, authentication, logging, and monitoring. You can containerize one application before containerizing everything. You can introduce APIs where they make sense. You can modernize the highest-risk areas first. The goal is not to impress people with a massive transformation project. The goal is to make progress that reduces real business risk. What This Means for CFML CFML has always been a productive language for building business applications. That is why so many CFML applications still exist. They solved real problems. They delivered value. They helped companies move faster. But productivity alone is not enough anymore. A platform also needs to feel maintainable, secure, testable, deployable, observable, and approachable to developers who may not have grown up in the ecosystem. That is one of the biggest challenges facing CFML in 2026. The issue is not that CFML cannot be modern. It can. The issue is that too many CFML applications were built in ways that make outsiders assume the entire ecosystem is outdated. That is bad for teams. It is bad for businesses. It is bad for hiring. It is bad for the long-term health of the platform. This is why modernization matters beyond any single application. When CFML teams adopt better practices, better tooling, better architecture, better testing, better deployment, and better documentation, they do more than improve their own codebases. They make the ecosystem more credible. They make it easier for new developers to enter. They make it easier for companies to keep investing. They make it easier for CFML to remain a viable, productive, business-friendly platform. Modernization is not a rejection of CFML. It is one of the ways CFML survives. Where BoxLang Fits In Modernization also means giving teams more options for the future. That is one of the reasons Ortus built BoxLang. BoxLang is a modern dynamic language for the JVM designed to give developers a familiar, productive syntax while opening the door to modern runtime capabilities, Java interoperability, cloud-native deployments, modular architecture, and new execution environments. For some teams, modernization may mean improving their existing Adobe ColdFusion or Lucee applications. For others, it may mean adopting CommandBox, ColdBox, TestBox, CI/CD, containers, or modern deployment practices. For others, it may mean evaluating BoxLang as part of a long-term strategy to reduce licensing pressure, expand runtime flexibility, improve performance, or prepare for a more modern JVM-based future. The important point is this: Modernization is not one product. It is a path. BoxLang is one powerful option on that path, especially for teams that want to preserve the productivity of CFML-style development while gaining access to a modern language and runtime designed for the next generation of applications. Modernize the Mindset First Tools matter. Frameworks matter. Runtimes matter. Architecture matters. But the first modernization is always the mindset. Modern teams ask better questions: How do we reduce risk? How do we make this easier to change? How do we make this easier to test? How do we make this easier to deploy? How do we make this easier to understand? How do we make this easier for the next developer? How do we keep delivering value without trapping ourselves in the past? That mindset is what “Modernize or Die” is really about. It is not about fear. It is about responsibility. It is about refusing to let useful applications become untouchable. It is about refusing to let good developers become trapped in outdated workflows. It is about refusing to let a productive ecosystem be dismissed because too many of its applications were never given the care they needed to evolve. You Do Not Have to Modernize Everything at Once The phrase “Modernize or Die” can sound dramatic. But the work itself does not have to be dramatic. You do not need to modernize everything this quarter. You do not need to rewrite your entire application. You do not need to adopt every modern practice at once. You need to start. Start with the area that creates the most pain. Start with the deployment process everyone fears. Start with the module nobody wants to touch. Start with the missing tests around your most important workflow. Start with the runtime that is out of support. Start with the security concern that keeps getting postponed. Start with the documentation that would save the next developer three weeks. Start with one thing that makes the system healthier. Then do the next one. That is how modernization actually happens. Not as a slogan. As a discipline. The Future Belongs to Maintainable Systems In 2026, the pressure on software teams is only increasing. Businesses want faster delivery. Users expect better experiences. Security expectations are higher. AI is changing how teams build and evaluate software. Cloud infrastructure is now normal. Integrations are everywhere. Hiring remains difficult. Legacy systems are under more scrutiny. In that environment, “it still works” is not enough. The better question is: Can it keep working while the world around it changes? That is the heart of modernization. Not novelty. Not hype. Not fear. Survival. Adaptability. Longevity. Confidence. A modern application is one that gives the business options. A legacy application slowly removes them. Final Thought “Modernize or Die” is not saying your application is bad. It is not saying CFML is dead. It is not saying MVC is magic. It is not saying every team needs to rebuild everything from scratch. It is saying something simpler and more important: If your applications, processes, and skills stop evolving, eventually they stop being assets and start becoming liabilities. Modernization is how you prevent that. It is how you protect the value already built into your systems. It is how you make your applications easier to maintain, easier to secure, easier to deploy, easier to understand, and easier to hand off to the next generation of developers. Modernize not because the past was wrong. Modernize because the future is still coming. Lets talk. Contact us. https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/what-modernize-or-die-really-means-in-2026 Fri, 22 May 2026 10:40:00 GMT cristobal@ortussolutions.com (Cristobal Escobar) https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/what-modernize-or-die-really-means-in-2026 AI is everywhere right now, but for many development teams, the biggest question is no longer “What is AI?” it’s “How do we actually use it in real applications in a secure, practical, and maintainable way?” https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/free-webinar-making-ai-useful-for-cfmljava-developers-in-real-applications-with-boxlang Wed, 20 May 2026 19:15:00 GMT dvega@ortussolutions.com (Davis Vega) https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/free-webinar-making-ai-useful-for-cfmljava-developers-in-real-applications-with-boxlang 🎤 ITB 2026: Keynote Day 2 Recap! Day 2 of Into the Box 2026 shifted the spotlight from platform innovation to real-world impact showing how organizations are using the Ortus Solutions ecosystem to modernize massive systems, scale businesses, and embrace AI-driven development. From enterprise migrations to mission-critical government systems, the message was clear: This isn’t just technology evolution, it’s real production transformation at scale. 🎥 Watch the Keynote If you want the full stories, demos, and announcements from Day 2, watch the keynote below: 📚 Keynote Slides & Resources Want to explore the details behind the stories and announcements? into-the-box-2026-keynote-day-2-ortus-ecosystem-updatesfrom Ortus Solutions, Corp Includes architecture insights, migration patterns, and ecosystem updates shared during the keynote. 🌟 Real-World Impact: Customer Success Stories Day 2 opened with one of the strongest themes of the conference: modernization at scale is already happening. These weren’t prototypes they were production systems handling millions and billions in real-world value. ✈️ Avoya Travel Ian Woodward shared how ColdBox helped transform Avoya Travel’s infrastructure into a scalable, modern platform. Key outcomes: Migration away from legacy SFTP-based deployments Introduction of Docker Swarm and CI/CD pipelines Custom cruise API platform development Scaling beyond $500M in sales Custom ContentBox workflows for marketing operations A clear example of modernization driving business growth—not just technical upgrades. 💼 Synaptrix John Wilson showcased how a financial optimization platform built with Ortus tooling: Scaled into a $30M acquisition Now manages over $4.1B in assets Was recently porned to BoxLang Uses CommandBox-based infrastructure for deployment and scaling This highlighted how fast-moving systems can evolve into enterprise-grade platforms. 🏢 Installnet Aaron Weinberg shared the modernization of a 26-year-old ColdFusion ERP system: Migration toward AWS cloud architecture Real-time systems powered by SocketBox BoxLang-based notification services Stronger DevOps collaboration with Ortus engineers Early AI integration into development workflows A textbook example of legacy modernization done right—without rewrites. 🏛️ U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) One of the most impactful stories came from government-scale modernization. Key highlights: Millions of lines of legacy ColdFusion code Multiple production-critical environments Rapid BoxLang compatibility improvements Strong collaboration with Ortus engineering Significant migration progress in weeks This demonstrated that BoxLang is now viable for large-scale government systems. 🚀 ColdBox 20-Year Evolution A major milestone moment: 20 years of ColdBox. ⚡ ColdBox 8 Highlights Native BoxLang “Prime” support AI-native routing and runnables MCP integrations Improved modular architecture Virtual threading support Enhanced debugging and observability ColdBox continues evolving into a modern, AI-aware application framework. 🤖 AI-Native Development Expands A recurring theme across Day 2: AI is now embedded across the ecosystem, not added on top. ColdBox now enables: Automatic AI route generation AI runnable exposure Direct MCP server integration Native AI client interoperability This pushes the platform closer to agent-ready backend systems. 🧠 CB-MCP: Applications That Understand Themselves CB-MCP continues to redefine how developers interact with applications. It enables: Application introspection via AI tools Live diagnostics and testing Route and cache inspection Conversational system interaction This is a major step toward self-describing, AI-operable systems. 🧪 Developer Experience: TestBox Improvements TestBox continues its evolution with a strong focus on performance and usability: Streaming test execution Better CLI runners VS Code integration improvements Large test suite optimization AI-assisted testing workflows The goal: faster feedback loops and smarter debugging. 📦 CommandBox, BX CLI & Cloud-Native Shift The ecosystem continues moving toward lightweight, cloud-native tooling: New BX CLI (BoxLang-native) Faster startup performance Smaller Docker images Reduced security/CVE footprint Improved lock file system Better CI/CD workflows BoxLang is increasingly positioned as the foundation for modern runtime deployment. ⚡ ContentBox, CBWire & Ecosystem Tools 📰 ContentBox ContentBox continues modernizing: Faster admin interface Reactive UI improvements Headless CMS enhancements Future AI integrations 🔌 CBWire BoxLang Prime support AlpineJS integration improvements Reactive UI updates Improved security model Simplified component workflows 🔐 Security & Identity Evolution New ecosystem direction includes: Passkey support (passwordless future) CBSSO for unified authentication Improved admin scaffolding Stronger identity workflows across apps 🌍 Closing: “Life is More Than Software” The keynote closed with a deeply human message from Jorge Reyes, shifting the focus from technology to purpose. He reflected on: The rapid acceleration of AI Ethical challenges in modern software The importance of human identity in an AI era Keeping purpose at the center of innovation Ortus also highlighted community and humanitarian initiatives, including: 365 Christian Men / Women podcasts Support for children’s homes in El Salvador Community-driven outreach programs 🔥 Final Takeaway Day 2 of Into the Box 2026 made one thing unmistakably clear: Enterprise modernization is happening now AI is becoming foundational across the ecosystem BoxLang is proving itself at scale ColdBox continues to evolve after 20 years Developer tooling is becoming faster, smarter, and more integrated And most importantly: technology remains grounded in human purpose Join the Ortus Community Be part of the movement shaping the future of web development. Stay connected and receive the latest updates on, product launches, tool updates, promo services and much more. Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content. Subscribe Follow Us on Social media and don’t miss any news and updates: https://twitter.com/ortussolutions https://www.facebook.com/OrtusSolutions https://www.linkedin.com/company/ortus-solutions-corp https://www.youtube.com/OrtusSolutions https://github.com/Ortus-Solutions https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/into-the-box-2026-day-2-keynote-highlights Thu, 14 May 2026 19:14:00 GMT mherrera@ortussolutions.com (Maria Jose Herrera) https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/into-the-box-2026-day-2-keynote-highlights BoxLang AI 3.2.0 is here, and it's a landmark release. We're shipping five major features — image generation, web search, a fluent audio builder API, a centralized agent registry, and deep MCP observability — along with a suite of analytics improvements and a critical bug fix. Let's dig in. 🎉 https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/boxlang-ai-320-image-generation-web-search-fluent-audio-agent-registry-mcp-observability Thu, 14 May 2026 12:44:00 GMT lmajano@ortussolutions.com (Luis Majano) BoxLang Community Into The Box News Releases https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/boxlang-ai-320-image-generation-web-search-fluent-audio-agent-registry-mcp-observability ITB 2026 Keynote Day 1 Recap Into the Box 2026 The opening keynote at Into the Box 2026 showcased the next major leap in the Ortus Solutions ecosystem—bringing together AI-native development, modern JVM architecture, and a deeply upgraded developer experience across the stack. From ColdBox to BoxLang, the message was clear: The future of the platform is faster, smarter, and built for AI-first development. 🎥 Watch the Keynote If you want the full context, demos, and live explanations from the team, watch the Day 1 keynote below: 📚 Keynote Slides & Resources Want to dive deeper or revisit the announcements at your own pace? You can access the full keynote slides and supporting resources here: into-the-box-2026-keynote-day-1-boxlang-modernizationfrom Ortus Solutions, Corp 🔥 The Big Picture This year’s keynote wasn’t just about features—it was about direction. Ortus is building toward a unified developer ecosystem where: AI is built into the framework, not bolted on Applications are cloud-native by default Tooling understands your app in real time Developers move faster with less complexity Everything announced pointed toward one goal: Make building modern applications on the JVM radically simpler and smarter. 🚀 ColdBox 8: A Major Leap Forward ColdBox continues its 20-year evolution with one of its most significant upgrades yet. ColdBox 8 tightens its integration with BoxLang and introduces a more adaptive, intelligent runtime experience. Key highlights: Native BoxLang “Prime” support AI-native routing and runnables Modular architecture improvements Virtual threading support for performance scaling Enhanced dependency injection system Faster bootstrapping and startup times Stronger Java interoperability Expanded observability and debugging tools ColdBox can now automatically detect CFML, BoxLang, or hybrid environments making multi-runtime applications seamless. With 720+ modules, the ecosystem continues to be one of the most mature in the JVM/CFML world. 🤖 AI-Native Development is Now Real One of the most exciting shifts in the keynote was the introduction of AI-native development patterns inside ColdBox. Developers can now build AI-powered features directly into their applications without complex orchestration layers. What’s now possible: Native AI endpoints through routing AI chat interfaces in minutes Built-in embeddings and AI workflows Streaming AI responses out of the box Direct MCP server integrations ColdBox “AI runnables” automatically expose standardized endpoints like: invoke stream batch info This dramatically reduces boilerplate and accelerates AI feature development. 🧠 CB-MCP: Your App, AI-Readable CB-MCP introduces a powerful new idea: Your application should be understandable and operable by AI tools. With CB-MCP, developers and AI agents can interact with live applications to: Inspect routes and architecture Run diagnostics in real time Execute tests Analyze cache and system state Interact conversationally with the system This is a major step toward AI-operable backend systems. 📦 BoxLang + CommandBox: Lighter, Faster, Cloud-Ready The evolution of BoxLang and CommandBox continues pushing toward cloud-native simplicity. Key updates: New BX CLI experience Smaller, optimized runtimes Faster container startup times Reduced Docker image sizes Lower security/CVE footprint Improved CI/CD integration Smarter package locking system The direction is clear: lighter deployments, faster startup, and simpler infrastructure. 🧪 Developer Experience First TestBox continues evolving with a strong focus on developer velocity: Streaming test execution Better CLI workflows VS Code integration improvements Parallel testing enhancements AI-assisted debugging workflows Everything is aimed at shortening feedback loops and improving productivity. ⚡ Ecosystem Momentum: ContentBox & Beyond ContentBox continues modernizing with: Faster admin experience Reactive AlpineJS UI improvements Improved media handling Headless CMS enhancements Upcoming AI integrations Other ecosystem tools (QB, Quick, CBWire, CBQ, PassKeys, CBSSO) are also evolving toward full BoxLang compatibility and modern architecture patterns. 🔥 Final Takeaway Day 1 of Into the Box 2026 made the vision extremely clear: The Ortus ecosystem is evolving into: An AI-native development platform A cloud-first JVM ecosystem A developer experience–driven toolkit A unified runtime with BoxLang at its core This is not incremental change—it’s a platform-level shift in how applications are built, deployed, and understood. 👉 Want More? Watch the full keynote above to see live demos, deeper explanations, and the vision directly from the team. Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content. Subscribe And stay connected with the ecosystem here: https://twitter.com/ortussolutions https://www.facebook.com/OrtusSolutions https://www.linkedin.com/company/ortus-solutions-corp https://www.youtube.com/OrtusSolutions https://github.com/Ortus-Solutions https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/into-the-box-2026-keynote-day-1-recap Wed, 13 May 2026 17:31:44 GMT vcampos@ortussolutions.com (Victor Campos) https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/into-the-box-2026-keynote-day-1-recap Search is one of those features that can make or break an application. Users expect it to be instant, forgiving of typos, and smart about relevance. Building that experience from scratch is a significant investment. That is exactly why we built bx-meilisearch — a BoxLang-native module that puts the full power of Meilisearch at your fingertips with a fluent, chainable DSL that feels right at home in any BoxLang application. https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/introducing-bx-meilisearch-blazing-fast-search-for-boxlang-applications Tue, 12 May 2026 10:52:00 GMT lmajano@ortussolutions.com (Luis Majano) BoxLang https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/introducing-bx-meilisearch-blazing-fast-search-for-boxlang-applications You know the drill. Someone opens a PR and half the review comments are about tabs vs spaces, where braces go, or why that one function has its arguments formatted differently from everything else. It's noise. And it's over. https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/intro-to-the-boxlang-formatter Tue, 12 May 2026 10:29:00 GMT lmajano@ortussolutions.com (Luis Majano) BoxLang https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/intro-to-the-boxlang-formatter We listen. A lot. And one message has come through loud and clear from our community: teams want a way to get into the BoxLang ecosystem with commercial licensing, real tooling, and actual support — without jumping straight to a full BoxLang+ subscription. https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/introducing-the-boxlang-starter-plan-your-path-to-modernization-starts-here Mon, 11 May 2026 10:08:00 GMT lmajano@ortussolutions.com (Luis Majano) BoxLang Community Into The Box News Releases https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/introducing-the-boxlang-starter-plan-your-path-to-modernization-starts-here Into The Box 2026 was not just another conference. It was a clear statement about where CFML, BoxLang, and the Ortus ecosystem are heading next. https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/everything-we-announced-at-into-the-box-2026-boxlang-cfml-modernization-ai-coldbox-8-and-the-future-of-the-ortus-ecosystem Fri, 08 May 2026 11:58:00 GMT cristobal@ortussolutions.com (Cristobal Escobar) https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/everything-we-announced-at-into-the-box-2026-boxlang-cfml-modernization-ai-coldbox-8-and-the-future-of-the-ortus-ecosystem Ortus Solutions is excited to announce the open beta of MatchBox, a new open source project in the BoxLang ecosystem. MatchBox is a custom BoxLang virtual machine written in Rust. It is built for the places where a full JVM runtime is not the right fit: small native command-line tools, compact web services, browser applications, WebAssembly containers, and even embedded hardware like ESP32 devices. https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/announcing-matchbox-open-beta-boxlang-now-running-in-new-places Wed, 06 May 2026 14:41:00 GMT lmajano@ortussolutions.com (Luis Majano) https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/announcing-matchbox-open-beta-boxlang-now-running-in-new-places This collection brings together the latest updates, releases, events, and insights from the Ortus ecosystem, covering BoxLang, ColdBox, and modern CFML development. From major product launches and AI advancements to in-depth technical guides and real-world modernization strategies, these resources highlight how developers and organizations are building scalable, future-ready applications on the JVM. It also captures key moments from the community, including webinars and major events like Into the Box 2026, showcasing the ongoing innovation, collaboration, and evolution happening across the Ortus world. Product Releases & Tools Introducing skills.boxlang.io — The Open Agent Skills Ecosystem for BoxLang & the Ortus World This post introduces skills.boxlang.io, a public, agent-agnostic registry of reusable AI “skills” for the entire Ortus ecosystem. It enables teams to define, version, and share structured AI knowledge across tools like Copilot and Claude, eliminating prompt duplication and creating a scalable, standardized way to power intelligent agents Introducing skills.boxlang.io — The Open Agent Skills Ecosystem for BoxLang & the Ortus World This post introduces skills.boxlang.io, a public, agent-agnostic registry of reusable AI “skills” for the entire Ortus ecosystem. It enables teams to define, version, and share structured AI knowledge across tools like Copilot and Claude, eliminating prompt duplication and creating a scalable, standardized way to power intelligent agents. Introducing cbMCP — Your ColdBox App, Live to Every AI Agent This post introduces cbMCP, a ColdBox module that turns your running application into a live MCP server for AI agents. It allows tools like Claude or Copilot to directly inspect routes, handlers, and system state in real time—eliminating guesswork and enabling smarter, context-aware AI development. Build Cross-Platform Desktop Apps with BoxLang This post introduces the new BoxLang Desktop Runtime, enabling developers to build cross-platform desktop apps using Electron, Vite, and BoxLang. It highlights a “write once, run anywhere” approach—allowing the same codebase to run on macOS, Windows, and Linux with minimal setup and no rewrites. Introducing BoxLings! An Interactive Teacher for BoxLang and TDD/BDD This post introduces BoxLings, an interactive CLI learning tool that teaches BoxLang through hands-on exercises and real test feedback. It combines 100+ progressive challenges with a TDD/BDD-first approach, helping developers learn by fixing code, reading tests, and building real skills step by step. BoxLang Goes Serverless on Google Cloud This post highlights how BoxLang expands its multi-runtime capabilities by enabling serverless deployments on Google Cloud. It shows how developers can run event-driven functions without managing infrastructure, taking advantage of automatic scaling, faster development cycles, and cost-efficient cloud execution. ColdBox 8.1.0 Released: AI Routing, MCP, and BoxLang-First Power This release introduces powerful AI-focused features like toAi() and toMCP() routing, enabling developers to instantly expose AI agents and MCP servers via REST endpoints. It also includes scheduler improvements, better cluster reliability, and deeper alignment with BoxLang as a first-class runtime. Content & Resources The Loneliness of CTO Leadership: How to Make Important Decisions with Confidence This article explores the isolation that often comes with CTO leadership and how it affects decision-making. It highlights strategies like building advisory circles and using structured frameworks to make more confident, high-impact decisions. BoxLang AI Series: Complete Guide to Building AI Agents This post brings together the full BoxLang AI series into a complete guide for building production-ready AI agents. It covers core concepts like tools, memory, and agent orchestration, showing how to design scalable, intelligent systems that can reason, act, and integrate with real-world data and APIs. ColdFusion Modernization for UK Universities (Without Downtime) This article explores how UK universities modernize legacy ColdFusion systems without disrupting critical services. It highlights strategies like phased upgrades, cloud adoption, and zero-downtime deployments to maintain uptime while improving performance, security, and scalability. BoxLang Updates BoxLang v1.13.0: Compatibility, Concurrency, and Formatter Maturity This release focuses on stability and production readiness, delivering major improvements in CFML compatibility, concurrency handling, and runtime reliability. It also introduces a production-ready formatter with CI/CD support, along with security and performance fixes across the platform. BoxLang AI v3 Has Landed: Multi-Agent Orchestration, Tooling, Skills and So Much More This post announces the release of BoxLang AI v3, a major update that redefines how AI agents, models, and tools interact within the BoxLang ecosystem. It introduces a powerful AI Skills system for reusable, versioned knowledge, along with multi-agent orchestration, MCP server integration, and a revamped tooling architecture—enabling developers to build more scalable, modular, and intelligent AI-driven applications on the JVM. Mini serie of BoxLang AI BoxLang AI Deep Dive BoxLang AI Deep Dive — Part 1 of 7: The Skills Revolution (AI 3.0 Series) This post kicks off a 7-part deep dive series on building production-ready AI systems with BoxLang AI 3.0. It introduces the concept of “AI Skills” as reusable, versioned knowledge modules that eliminate prompt duplication and inconsistency across agents. By treating instructions as structured, shareable assets, developers can create more scalable, maintainable, and consistent AI-driven systems across their applications. BoxLang AI Deep Dive — Part 2 of 7: Building a Production-Grade AI Tool Ecosystem (AI 3.0 Series) This post continues the BoxLang AI 3.0 deep dive series, focusing on how to build a scalable and production-ready AI tool ecosystem. It explores the internal architecture behind tools—introducing components like BaseTool, ClosureTool, and the global tool registry—designed to handle lifecycle management, observability, and execution automatically. By abstracting complexity away from developers, BoxLang enables consistent, reusable, and modular tool integration across AI agents and workflows. BoxLang AI Deep Dive — Part 3 of 7: Multi-Agent Orchestration — Building AI Teams That Work (AI 3.0 Series) This post explores how BoxLang AI 3.0 enables true multi-agent orchestration by introducing hierarchical agent structures where agents can delegate tasks to specialized sub-agents automatically. It highlights how agents are organized in a tree with built-in cycle detection, stateless execution, and per-call memory isolation—allowing developers to build scalable “AI teams” that collaborate efficiently without manual wiring or complex coordination logic. BoxLang AI Deep Dive — Part 4 of 7: Middleware — The Missing Layer in Every AI Framework (AI 3.0 Series) This post dives into the middleware system in BoxLang AI 3.0, introducing a critical layer that sits between agent execution and actual LLM/tool interactions. It explains how middleware enables cross-cutting concerns like logging, retries, guardrails, and human-in-the-loop validation without modifying core agent logic. By using a hook-based lifecycle and composable middleware stack, developers can gain full control, observability, and testability of AI workflows—solving one of the biggest challenges in building reliable, production-grade AI systems. BoxLang AI Deep Dive — Part 5 of 7: One API, 17 Providers — The Provider Architecture Deep Dive (AI 3.0 Series) This post explores the provider architecture behind BoxLang AI 3.0, focusing on how a single unified API can seamlessly support 17 different AI providers. It introduces a capability-based system that ensures type-safe interactions, prevents runtime errors, and allows developers to switch providers with zero code changes. By abstracting provider-specific logic into a structured hierarchy and transport layer, BoxLang eliminates vendor lock-in and enables flexible, future-proof AI integrations across cloud and local environments. BoxLang AI Deep Dive — Part 6 of 7: Memory Systems & RAG — Building AI That Remembers (AI 3.0 Series) This post explores how BoxLang AI 3.0 implements advanced memory systems and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to build AI applications that retain context and knowledge over time. It introduces two core memory types—standard memory for conversation history and vector memory for semantic retrieval—along with over 20 memory strategies, document loaders, and multi-tenant identity routing. By combining short-term context with long-term knowledge through hybrid memory, developers can build intelligent AI systems that are context-aware, scalable, and grounded in real data rather than relying solely on model responses. BoxLang AI Deep Dive — Part 7 of 7: MCP — The Protocol That Connects Everything (AI 3.0 Series) This final post in the BoxLang AI 3.0 series explores the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a standardized way for AI agents to discover and interact with tools across different systems and languages. It explains how BoxLang acts as both an MCP client and server—allowing developers to consume external tools or expose their own—while eliminating integration complexity. By adopting MCP, BoxLang enables a truly interoperable AI ecosystem where agents, tools, and services can seamlessly connect regardless of implementation. How to Develop AI Agents Using BoxLang AI: A Practical Guide This hands-on guide walks through how to build real-world AI agents using BoxLang AI, moving beyond simple chatbots into systems that can reason, act, and remember. It covers core concepts like tools, memory, and agents, and demonstrates how to create a production-ready support agent capable of querying data, calling APIs, and handling multi-step workflows. The article emphasizes a unified API approach, multi-provider flexibility, and scalable architecture for building intelligent, autonomous applications on the JVM. Updates BoxLang v1.12.0: Destructuring, Spread, Ranges, Watchers, Oh My! This release introduces major language enhancements like destructuring, spread syntax, and a new range operator, along with real-time file watchers and performance improvements. It marks a shift toward more expressive, modern development features while continuing to improve stability and speed across the BoxLang ecosystem. BoxLang AI v3.1 Released: Audio, Async, Parallel Pipelines, and More This release expands BoxLang AI with audio capabilities, async execution, and parallel pipelines, enabling faster and more scalable AI workflows. It also adds new tooling, provider support, and stability improvements for production-ready AI applications. Ortus Upcoming Events & Webinars CFCamp Pre-Conference Workshops Led by Ortus Solutions Ortus Solutions is hosting hands-on pre-conference workshops at CFCamp, designed to give developers practical experience with CFML, Ortus tools, and best practices before the main event kicks off. Save your Spot Ortus Past Events Join Our Webinar: Intro to BoxLang AI – One API to Rule Them All (Part II) This post highlights a webinar held on April 16, 2026, focused on building production-ready AI workflows using BoxLang AI. It showcases how developers can leverage a single unified API to work across multiple AI providers, create autonomous agents, and build scalable RAG pipelines—demonstrating practical approaches to modern AI development on the JVM. Into the Box 2026 is Here: Learn All the Details! This post highlights Into the Box 2026, held from April 29 to May 1 in Washington, DC, under the theme “Modernization in Motion: Building a Dynamic Future.” The event featured deep dives into BoxLang, AI, cloud-native development, and modern architectures, along with hands-on workshops, networking opportunities, and full access to session recordings and resources. Watch the Keynote 01 & 02 Join the Ortus Community Be part of the movement shaping the future of web development. Stay connected and receive the latest updates on, product launches, tool updates, promo services and much more. Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content. Subscribe Follow Us on Social media and don’t miss any news and updates: https://twitter.com/ortussolutions https://www.facebook.com/OrtusSolutions https://www.linkedin.com/company/ortus-solutions-corp https://www.youtube.com/OrtusSolutions https://github.com/Ortus-Solutions https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/ortus-boxlang-april-recap-2026 Tue, 05 May 2026 19:49:00 GMT vcampos@ortussolutions.com (Victor Campos) https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/ortus-boxlang-april-recap-2026 We're thrilled to announce the first stable release of bx-compat-soap, the official SOAP web services compatibility module for BoxLang web runtimes. https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/boxlang-soap-compatibility-module-released Fri, 01 May 2026 14:54:00 GMT lmajano@ortussolutions.com (Luis Majano) BoxLang https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/boxlang-soap-compatibility-module-released We're excited to announce the first stable release of bx-compat-rest, the official CFML REST compatibility module for the BoxLang web runtime. This release means that existing ACF and Lucee users, whose applications rely on CFML REST implemenations can now run on BoxLang. https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/boxlang-rest-compatibility-module-v100-released Fri, 01 May 2026 14:44:00 GMT lmajano@ortussolutions.com (Luis Majano) BoxLang REST https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/boxlang-rest-compatibility-module-v100-released BoxLang 1.13.0 is here, and it marks an important step forward for the platform. This release includes 48 tickets—every one of them completed—reflecting a focused effort on CFML compatibility, a more robust concurrency engine, a production-hardened miniserver, and meaningful tooling improvements. https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/boxlang-v1130-compatibility-concurrency-and-formatter-maturity Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:05:00 GMT lmajano@ortussolutions.com (Luis Majano) BoxLang Community Into The Box News Releases https://www.ortussolutions.com/blog/boxlang-v1130-compatibility-concurrency-and-formatter-maturity