Introduction

Running Local Development Servers

Wheels uses a Docker-based development environment that provides consistent, containerized development with support for multiple CFML engines and databases.

Prerequisites

Docker: Install Docker Desktop from docker.com
Wheels CLI: Install the Wheels CommandBox module:
Terminal window
```
box install wheels-cli
```

Setting up Docker Development Environment

Ensure you are in the application root directory.

Initialize your Docker development environment:

wheels docker init cfengine=adobe cfversion=2018 db=mysql

Command Options

cfengine options:

lucee - Lucee CFML engine
adobe - Adobe ColdFusion
boxlang - BoxLang CFML engine

cfversion options:

Major versions for Adobe ColdFusion: 2018, 2021, 2023, 2025
Major versions for Lucee: 5, 6, 7
Major versions for BoxLang: 1

db options:

mysql - MySQL database
postgres - PostgreSQL database
mssql - Microsoft SQL Server
h2 - H2 embedded database
oracle - Oracle database
sqlite - SQLite embedded database

Generated Files

The wheels docker init command creates several files in your project:

.dockerignore - Specifies files to exclude from Docker build context
Dockerfile - Container definition for your chosen CFML engine
docker-compose.yml - Multi-container application definition
CFConfig.json - CFML engine configuration with datasource setup

Starting Your Development Environment

After running the init command, start your containers:

docker-compose up -d

The containers will take a few minutes to start the first time as Docker downloads the necessary images. Once started, your application will be available at:

Default: http://localhost:8080
Custom port: Check your server.json file for the configured port

Managing Your Docker Environment

# Stop the containers
docker-compose down

# View running containers
docker-compose ps

# View container logs
docker-compose logs

# Rebuild and restart
docker-compose up -d --build

Additional Configuration

Custom Ports

The default port is 8080, but you can customize this by modifying the server.json:

{
    "name":"wheels",
    "web":{
        "host":"localhost",
        "http":{
            "port":3000
        },
        "webroot":"public",
        "rewrites":{
            "enable":true,
            "config":"public/urlrewrite.xml"
        }
    }
}

Database Configuration

The generated CFConfig.json file automatically configures a datasource for your chosen database. The configuration includes:

Connection settings for your selected database type
Default datasource named wheels-dev
Appropriate drivers for the database engine

Development Workflow

Make code changes in your directory
Changes are reflected immediately due to Docker volume mounting
Database changes persist between container restarts
Use standard Wheels commands like migrations, generators, etc.

Troubleshooting

Containers won’t start:

# Check if ports are in use
docker-compose ps
netstat -an | grep 8080

# Force recreate containers
docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d --force-recreate

Database connection issues:

# Check database container logs
docker-compose logs db

# Restart just the database
docker-compose restart db

Performance issues:

Ensure Docker Desktop has adequate memory allocated (4GB+ recommended)
On Windows/Mac, enable file sharing for your project directory

{% hint style=“info” %}

CFIDE / Lucee administrators

The default username and password for all administrators is admin & commandbox {% endhint %}