What about more recent releases, if you may wonder? CF 2023 (the current latest release) will get updates into 2028 (5 years after it was release). And there's the coming CF 2025 release, currently in pre-release (as I have recently blogged about), which is of course a great sign for the continued vitality of CF.

But this looming deadline for CF2021 is a reminder that as the years roll on, we not only get new versions but we must say good-bye to old ones.

Wondering what you can do? or when CF2023 or CF2025 support will end also? And what's the difference between "core" support and the available "extended" support which Adobe sells? (The extended support plan does NOT provide updates beyond this coming November.) For more on these, including official Adobe documentation that discusses such things, as well as my thoughts on migration, costs, various options to consider, and more, do read on.

• The various core support end dates for CF releases
• What can you do at this point?
• "But I can buy 'extended support' and still get updates into 2026, right?" That answer is NO
• "Do I really need to worry about no longer getting CF updates for CF2021 once 'support' stops?"
• Downloading CF2023, in case you may want to try it
• The bottom line

The various core support end dates for CF releases

As you may know, ColdFusion versions follow an approximate 5-year cycle, from release to end of "core" support, with an extra year of "extended support" (which again does NOT include updates).

Here are the dates for the few most recent ColdFusion (and ColdFusion Builder) versions, from the Adobe corporate "eol matrix" page (which shows dates of even older CF versions).

(Two points, first: since CF2025 is still in prerelease, it's not yet offered there as I write this post. And note that the CF Builder extension for VS Code is not listed, perhaps since it's free from the CS Code marketplace. The old CFBuilder reached EOL 7/13/2023 and is now replaced with the VSCode extension.)

If you're curious to know about versions 11, 10, 9, 8, and 7, their release date (and eol date) are also offered at that EOL matrix (though note that CF7 is listed separately as "Macromedia ColdFusion").

What can you do at this point?

Folks running ColdFusion 2021 (the audience for this post) who are interested in staying as up to date as possible (for as long as possible) should consider buying and moving your apps to run on CF2023, as its updates will be offered for 2 more years (May 2028, again 5 years after it came out in May 2023). And when CF2025 comes out, that will of course be another option to consider.

Here are a few more thoughts that may help you if you're in this situation (of running CF2021 or even earlier):

• Note first that you don't need to pay Adobe anything to begin testing with a new version. With CF, you can always install it (on the same or another machine) choosing to use either the free Developer edition/license (which has no expiration date) or the 30-day trial (which reverts to the Developer edition if you don't put in a valid license key before then). You are asked during installation of CF whether to run as Developer, Trial, or to put in a license key. You can also add a license key in the CF Admin after installation.
• You also don't need to make an "all at once" switch from one CF version to another. As with any CF version, you can run CF2023 alongside of a CF2021 installation (or a CF2018 installation, and so on). As long as the current version is running when you install another, the new one gets different ports so that both can even run at the same time (as long as your machine has the resources).
  • You can even configure the web server connector (for IIS or Apache) to allow some sites to run on one CF version while another site/s run against another CF version. A key point there is that if you configured your previous version to have "all sites" configured in that web server to talk to a previous version, you would need to remove that and switch things to have EACH site go to that CF version--and then you could opt to configure whichever site(s) you want to talk to the new CF version. For some folks, that effort is easy to do, while for others it may be a struggle. I can help you directly with that if interested, usually very quickly (as in minutes).
• As for migration of your app from earlier versions to CF2023, I cover most of what you need to know in a (recorded) talk on Migrating apps to ColdFusion 2023 from earlier versions (which covers moving from multiple previous CF versions). Or again I can help you directly via my consulting services (usually with little billable time on my part, the way I would assist you).
• As for the cost to upgrade, note that Adobe has traditionally offered an upgrade discount to whatever is the current version from whatever is the immediately preceding version, so there is an 50% upgrade discount to move from CF2021 to 2023. Buying CF2023 now should also allow you to get that upgrade discount on moving to CF2025 when it comes out (though Adobe doesn't discuss pricing before final release).
  • If you may still be running CF2018 or earlier, Adobe offers no upgrade discount to CF2023 for you. But note that the FusionReactor folks (also CF resellers) had a deal for the past several months, where you could get an upgrade discount to move to CF2023 from CF2018 or earlier. I had my post with more info on that deal. I'm afraid that deal has since expired, at least at this writing.
• Some folks find this sort of deadline makes them all the more interested to consider the prospect of moving to the open-source CFML engine, Lucee. It's not from Adobe, and it doesn't claim complete compatibility with CF, but as an ecosystem and community (and especially for scaling), many have found it to suit their situation and be worth the migration effort (which, like the migration from even any one version of CF to another, may range from being trivial to seemingly impossible).
  • Note as well that Ortus Solutions has a new BoxLang platform where they intend to offer CFML compatibility. That product is in beta, at this writing, but it's another alternative that some will want to consider. (To be clear, there is a a faq, "Can BoxLang® run ColdFusion/CFML code?" and more on the CFML comptibility module, while separately there is a doc discussing migrating from CFML to boxlang's own language.)

"But I can buy 'extended support' and still get updates into 2026, right?" That answer is NO

Again, if you see that 2026 date in the table for CF2021 "extended" support that you can buy, please note Adobe has clarified that "extended support" "DOES NOT INCLUDE security patches or hot fixes" but rather "best-effort support intended to assist customers in migration to a core supported version ". So it's about "supporting you" in your migration effort. The paid "extended support" does NOT get you updates and fixes to CF2021 beyond Nov 2025.

Yes, I've repeated that point now multiple times in teh post, because some people mistake what that column in the table means.

"Do I really need to worry about no longer getting CF updates for CF2021 once 'support' stops?"

Yes, you do.

Let's clarify: the updates which Adobe offers (usually about 15-20 over the 5 year life of each CF version) address bug fixes, and sometimes change or add features, but most important these CF updates often provide security fixes--fixes to known vulnerabilities that are discovered and rectified by applying the latest updates. There have been several just last year for both CF2023 and 2021.

Once Adobe no longer offers updates for the version you're on, you are at considerable risk. When the first set of updates come out for CF2023 after Nov 2025--for the versions of CF still under support--the fixes in those updates will NOT be back-ported to the CF versions no longer supported, again even security fixes. And that could happen any time after Nov 2025.

Of course, some people drag their feet. Change is hard. Upgrading apps can seem scary (perhaps it was terrible in some prior attempt). Again, I offer a presentation covering migration to CF2023 from older CF 2021 and older versions. Or again I can help you directly, usually with very little effort on my part to help get you over your humps, while you/your folks proceed with testing and making any needed changes (which can range from none to seemingly "too many", but it's usually somewhere in the middle.)

And sure, some folks opt not to upgrade because they have plans "to migrate off of CF entirely", but sometimes that turns out to be far more challenging for them than originally planned. There are many today who made such choices years ago and are still running even CF2018 (which was last updated in 2023), or CF2016 (last updated in 2021), or CF11 (last updated in 2019), or even CF10 (last updated in 2017), and so on.

Such folks are playing a game of Russian roulette by remaining on a version no longer getting updates. There could be vulnerabilities that were fixed years ago in later CF versions, even if you may feel you have "gotten by so far without a scratch".

Indeed, the threat landscape is constantly changing. To be clear, there have been vulnerabilities found either in CF, Tomcat, or related libraries that CF may include--indeed the most recent updates to each of CF2023 and 2021 (in Dec 2024) included a security update I posted about. Adobe works hard to keep on top of things (even if some may feel it's "not fast enough" or even "not often enough").

Downloading CF2023 now, in case you may want to try it

Maybe you will see this post and be unable to get your folks to make the move to CF2023 now. But the end-of-life for CF2021 is not the only "ticking" clock.

Once CF2025 comes out, we should expect from past experience that Adobe will no longer offer CF2023 publicly at all on their site, not for sale nor even for download--at least not if you haven't already bought it (those who buy CF are given a special site and account for accessing their product downloads).

So if you've not yet bought CF2023, you should consider downloading it now while you can. You can download the free trial installers from Adobe via the CF Product page, and an easy ink to get to that is coldfusion.com.

Even AFTER CF2025 comes out, and assuming you are ok with using the "zip install" approach that's new since CF2021, those are available at the CF "downloads" page and its section regarding CF2021. Despite the page name, the full/gui installers are NOT offered for download there.

After CF2025 comes out and assuming Adobe no longer offers the CF2021 installers any more, you could also obtain it via the community-supported site, cfmlrepo.com, which was created by Gavin Pickin and contributed to by myself and other trusted community members.

The bottom line

The bottom line is that if you want to be able to get ongoing security updates and hotfixes for your CF beyond Nov 2025, you will need to upgrade to CF2023 (or CF2025 when it comes out). You should be planning NOW to upgrade your apps from CF2021 or earlier, or accelerate your plans to move off of Adobe CF as your CFML engine--or off CF entirely--if that's your plan.

I'll say one more time that I can help people, whatever version of CF (or Lucee) they are on, and whether with troubleshooting/tuning, or updating/upgrading/migrating versions, leveraging new features, security, containerized deployment, and more.

Hope this news has helped folks still on CF2021 (and even those on earlier versions).

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