BoxLang with CommandBox

Overview

CommandBox is the enterprise Java servlet deployment option for BoxLang. Unlike the MiniServer (Undertow, no-servlet), CommandBox runs BoxLang inside a full Java EE servlet container (Undertow with servlet API), enabling enterprise features like multi-site hosting, SSL management, OS service integration, and JDK management.

Installation

Install CommandBox

# macOS
brew install commandbox

# Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
curl -fsSl https://downloads.ortussolutions.com/KEYS | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt-get install commandbox

# All platforms
curl -fsSl https://downloads.ortussolutions.com/commandbox-cli-install | bash

Install the BoxLang Module (CommandBox < 6.1)

install commandbox-boxlang

On CommandBox 6.1+, BoxLang support is built-in — no module installation required.

Starting a BoxLang Server

# One-liner
server start cfengine=boxlang javaVersion=openjdk21_jdk

# With explicit port and webroot
server start cfengine=boxlang port=8080 webroot=/var/www/myapp

# Foreground (don't open browser)
server start cfengine=boxlang openBrowser=false

server.json Configuration

Place server.json in your project root for repeatable server configuration:

Minimal

{
    "name": "MyBoxLangApp",
    "app": {
        "cfengine": "boxlang",
        "serverHomeDirectory": ".engine/boxlang"
    },
    "openBrowser": false
}

With Rewrites + Modules + SSL

{
    "name": "MyBoxLangApp",
    "app": {
        "cfengine": "boxlang",
        "serverHomeDirectory": ".engine/boxlang"
    },
    "openBrowser": false,
    "web": {
        "rewrites": {
            "enable": true
        },
        "ssl": {
            "enable": true,
            "port": 443,
            "certFile": "/path/to/cert.pem",
            "keyFile": "/path/to/key.pem"
        }
    },
    "JVM": {
        "heapSize": "512m",
        "args": "-XX:+UseG1GC"
    },
    "env": {
        "BOXLANG_ENVIRONMENT": "production",
        "BOXLANG_DEBUG": false
    },
    "scripts": {
        "onServerInitialInstall": "install bx-mail,bx-mysql,bx-redis",
        "onServerStart": "echo 'Server starting...'",
        "onServerStop": "echo 'Server stopping...'"
    }
}

With Custom boxlang.json

{
    "app": {
        "cfengine": "boxlang",
        "serverHomeDirectory": ".engine/boxlang",
        "engineConfigFile": ".boxlang.json"
    },
    "web": {
        "rewrites": { "enable": true }
    },
    "scripts": {
        "onServerInitialInstall": "install bx-mail,bx-mysql,bx-compat-cfml"
    }
}

Installing BoxLang Modules

Modules are installed from CommandBox and are available after onServerInitialInstall runs:

# Install in running server
install bx-mysql
install bx-mail
install bx-redis
install bx-elasticsearch
install bx-compat-cfml

# Multiple at once
install bx-mysql,bx-mail,bx-redis

Or in server.json:

"scripts": {
    "onServerInitialInstall": "install bx-mysql,bx-mail,bx-redis"
}

Debug Mode

Enable debug mode via any of these methods:

# CLI flag
server start --debug

# server.json env variable
{
    "env": { "BOXLANG_DEBUG": true }
}

Or via .cfconfig.json:

{
    "debuggingEnabled": true
}

Docker with CommandBox

# Pull the official image
docker pull ortussolutions/commandbox

# Run BoxLang on CommandBox
docker run -p 8080:8080 \
    -e cfengine=boxlang \
    -v /path/to/myapp:/app \
    ortussolutions/commandbox

Dockerfile

FROM ortussolutions/commandbox:latest

ENV cfengine=boxlang
ENV PORT=8080

COPY ./ /app
WORKDIR /app

EXPOSE 8080
CMD ["box", "server", "start", "--console"]

BoxLang+/++ Subscriptions (CommandBox PRO Features)

A BoxLang+ or BoxLang++ subscription unlocks CommandBox PRO enterprise features:

Activate via CommandBox:

server activate --subscription=YOUR_KEY

Environment Variables

The servlet/CommandBox runtime honors the same environment variables as the core OS runtime:

Server Management Commands

server start         # Start the server
server stop          # Stop the server
server restart       # Restart the server
server status        # View server status
server log           # Tail the server log
server open          # Open in browser
server list          # List all servers
server forget        # Remove server config

Checklist

• [ ] Use server.json for repeatable, version-controlled server config
• [ ] Set serverHomeDirectory to keep engine files out of source tree
• [ ] Use scripts.onServerInitialInstall to auto-install required modules
• [ ] Provide a custom engineConfigFile (.boxlang.json) for project-level BoxLang config
• [ ] Use JVM.heapSize to set appropriate memory limits for production
• [ ] Enable web.rewrites.enable: true for front-controller or SPA routing
• [ ] Prefer env vars in server.json over hard-coded values for environment-specific settings
• [ ] For Docker, use ortussolutions/commandbox with cfengine=boxlang env var