Launch ColdFusion Administrator.
- ColdFusion server profiles
- Install ColdFusion
- Configure your system
- Install ColdFusion configuration
- Install integrated technologies
- New JVM arguments in 2023 and 2021 updates of ColdFusion
- New JVM arguments in ColdFusion (2025 release)
- CFSetup configuration tool
- Command Line Interface (CLI)
- Central Config Server (CCS) in ColdFusion
- Administer ColdFusion
- Use the ColdFusion administrator
- Data Source Management for ColdFusion
- Connect to web servers
- Deploy ColdFusion applications
- Administer ColdFusion security
- Use multiple server instances
- ColdFusion Administrator API Reference
- Install and configure ColdFusion User Guide
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Configure ColdFusion
- New JVM arguments in 2023 and 2021 updates of ColdFusion
- New JVM arguments in ColdFusion (2025 release)
- CFSetup configuration tool
- Command Line Interface (CLI)
- Central Config Server (CCS) in ColdFusion
- Administer ColdFusion
- Use the ColdFusion administrator
- Data Source Management for ColdFusion
- Connect to web servers
- Deploy ColdFusion applications
- Administer ColdFusion security
- Use multiple server instances
- ColdFusion Administrator API Reference
Named User License (NUL) in Adobe ColdFusion allows users to activate licenses by logging into Adobe with an Adobe ID. This license type is managed through individual Adobe accounts rather than traditional serial numbers or license files.
How is Named User License different from Feature Restricted Licensing
Named User License (NUL) and Feature-Restricted License (FRL) both manage Adobe ColdFusion licenses but serve different purposes and operate distinctly.
Named User License (NUL) is tied to individual Adobe IDs and a user must log in with their Adobe ID to activate and use ColdFusion. NUL requires an active internet connection for activation and validating the license on a periodic basis. NUL provides access to all ColdFusion Standard or Enterprise features.
Feature Restricted License (FRL) provides an alternative to named user deployment, which can be set up and managed via the Admin Console. This activation type is applicable to users who have an internet connection or users who do not have internet access.
Activate ColdFusion using Named User Licensing
Installation
While installing ColdFusion either in trial, developer, or production modes, select Enterprise or Standard, and then select Named User License (NUL) in the License Details dialog.
View Install the server configuration for more information.
NUL activation requires the user to log into an Adobe account to verify and activate the license. ColdFusion will start in developer or trial mode, and you can activate the license from the ColdFusion Administrator after installation.
License management
For NUL, no package creation is necessary. You only need an Adobe ID associated with your subscription. NUL doesn't rely on the Adobe Admin Console for device tracking. Instead, ColdFusion Administrator provides these capabilities.
Deactivation
Deactivation is managed through the ColdFusion admin page, where users can log in with their Adobe ID to disable a license.
License expiry
Auto-renewal is available via Adobe’s account management, which can be cancelled through account page
Grace period
Grace periods allow continued access if issues arise, like system clock alterations or going offline.
Silent installer
Silent installation is supported with new parameters.
Containerization
Containerized deployments (Docker) only support developer mode by default, with licenses activated through the ColdFusion admin.
Pre-requisites
- Adobe ID setup and a valid ColdFusion entitlement
- Supported Operating Systems and ColdFusion versions
Named User License when installing ColdFusion
When installing ColdFusion, in the License Details dialog, select either Enterprise or Standard, depending on the subscription you've purchased, and then select Named User License (NUL).
Select Next and proceed with the installation.
Activate Named User License
After installing ColdFusion, follow the steps:
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Select License and Activation.
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The option Named User License (NUL) is selected by default in the License Mode dropdown. If the option is something else, select Named User License (NUL).
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Select the type of deployment- Development, Staging, Testing, Disaster Recovery, and Production from the Deployment Type dropdown.
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Select Activate to activate NUL. The Adobe sign-in page appears where you must log in with your Adobe user ID and password. When you sign in to the page, the NUL is activated. The Activation page in the ColdFusion Administrator page also reflects the same.
Successful activation of NUL Successful activation of NUL
Ensure that your browser’s pop-up blocker is disabled before proceeding. The activation process opens a new tab, and a pop-up blocker may prevent the window from displaying. In some cases, you may not receive a notification about the blocked pop-up.
View license usage information
The Usage page gives an analytical view of your license’s usage in terms of number of instances used, units used, usage graph, and much more.
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In the License and Activation page of the ColdFusion Administrator, select Usage.
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Select the From and the To dates from the date pickers.
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Select Track Usage.
The License Usage table displays all NUL activations within the selected period. The table contains the device ID, hostname or container ID, number of cores, type of deployment, status, activation or deactivation date, and whether deployment is on Docker.
Use silent installer
A silent installation does not interact with the user. A silent installation is useful when you install ColdFusion on multiple computers with the same installation options and configuration.
The silent.properties file is an ASCII text file that defines the installation parameters. Specify the details as provided in the file. Select only the ones that apply to your installation type.
Using the silent installer, you'll be able to install ColdFusion, but you need to log into the ColdFusion Adminustrator, and activate the license from the License and Activation page.
GUI installer
Use the following properties in the silent.properties file.
#Silent properties for ColdFusion 2025 GUI Installer INSTALLER_UI=SILENT #Valid Values are 1/2/3 (full/trial/developer) SILENT_INSTALL_TYPE= #Valid values are 1/2 (NUL/FRL) SILENT_LICENSE_ACTIVATION_MODE=2 SILENT_LICENSE_FILE_PATH=C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\License\\ngl-preconditioning-data.json #Valid values are 1/2 (ENT/STD) SILENT_LICENSE_EDITION=2 #Valid values are 1/2/3/4/5 (Production/Development/Staging/Testing/Disaster_Recovery) SILENT_DEPLOYMENT_TYPE= #Valid values are 1/2/3 (ear/war/standalone) SILENT_SERVER_TYPE=3 SILENT_INSTALL_JNBRIDGE=false #Remote administrator component for server remote start/stop SILENT_INSTALL_ADMIN=false SILENT_INSTALL_SOLR=false SILENT_INSTALL_PDFG=false #For Linux it would be as /opt/coldfusion2025 (Change it as per your path) SILENT_INSTALL_FOLDER=C:\\ColdFusion2025 #Enable one of Prod(secure/prod)/dev profile. These 3 are mutually exclusive and only one of them can be true and others are false. SILENT_ENABLE_PROD_SECURE_PROFILE=false SILENT_ENABLE_PROD_DEFAULT_PROFILE=false SILENT_ENABLE_DEV_PROFILE=true #IP addresses from which Administrator can be accessed. SILENT_ADMIN_IP= #IP address of the CF installed machine through which PDFG/Solr service would be accessed remotely. SILENT_JETTY_IP= SILENT_ADMIN_USERNAME=admin SILENT_ADMIN_PASSWORD=Adm1n$12 SILENT_ENABLE_RDS=true SILENT_RUNTIME_USER= #Provide password when enable RDS is true SILENT_RDS_PASSWORD=Adm1n$12 #username/password of remote administrator component for server remote start/stop SILENT_JETTY_USERNAME=admin SILENT_JETTY_PASSWORD=Adm1n$12 #Context Root for J2ee Installation SILENT_CONTEXT_ROOT= SILENT_AUTO_ENABLE_UPDATES=true #For Linux it would be as /opt/coldfusion11 (Change it as per your path) SILENT_PREV_CF_MIGR_DIR= #Enable/Disable the servlets depending on if they are not used by your application or not. #Applicable only if production OR Production+Secure profile is enabled. For Dev profile, all are enabled by default. ENABLE_RDS=false ENABLE_WSRP=false ENABLE_JSDEBUG=false ENABLE_CFR=false ENABLE_CFSWF=false ENABLE_CFFORMS=false
ZIP installer
To silently install the service, enter the following command:
Windows
- Execute cfinstall.bat --file-name <file name> --installer-mode silent
- Execute cfinstall.bat -f <file name> -i silent
Non-Windows
- Execute ./cfinstall.sh --file-name <file name> --installer-mode silent
- Execute ./cfinstall.sh -f <file name> -i silent
The file requires the below properties to be mentioned in a specific format to install the service silently.
#Silent properties for ColdFusion 2025 ZIP Installer # ColdFusion Administrator password COLDFUSION_ADMIN_PASSWORD=Adobe$123 # Internal webserver port COLDFUSION_ADMIN_PORT=8550 # Install License type - 1-Install new version of Adobe ColdFusion 2025 with License , 2-30-day trial, 3-Developer Edition INSTALL_TYPE=1 # Edition - 1-Enterprise,2-Standard LICENSE_EDITION=2 # Mode - 1-NUL,2-FRL LICENSE_ACTIVATION_MODE=2 # FRL License File Path LICENSE_FILE_PATH=C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\License\\ngl-preconditioning-data.json # Accept EULA- true. To proceed, you must accept the EULA EULA_ACCEPTED=true # IP address from which Administrator can be accessed IP_ADDRESSES= # Specify the deployment type- 1-Production, 2-Development, 3-Staging, 4-Testing, 5-Disaster recovery DEPLOYMENT_TYPE=5 # Name of the ColdFusion service COLDFUSION_WIN_SERVICE_NAME=cftest1 # Server profile - 1-Production+Secure, 2-Production, 3-Development. SERVER_PROFILE=1 # Specify the RDS password COLDFUSION_RDS_PASSWORD=Adobe$123 # ColdFusion install location COLDFUSION_INSTALL_LOCATION=C:\\ColdFusion_2025_WWEJ_win64\\ColdFusion\\
View Install ColdFusion silently for more information on setttings properties for silently installing ColdFusion.
Deactivate Named User License
Deactivate a Named User License from the ColdFusion Administrator. On the Activation section in License and Activation page, select Deactivate.
After clicking the button, you’ll be redirected to the login page, where you’ll sign in again to deactivate ColdFusion.
After deactivation, ColdFusion reverts to developer mode.
If the browser has a stored session, the login is completed automatically, and deactivation occurs. However, if the session is not stored, then you must log in again using the same Adobe ID to verify the deactivation.
Allow notifications
Settings tab
Use the settings below to receive the notifications while the server is in a grace period.
To enable the notifications, you must:
- Install the packages- mail and scheduler.
- Configure the mail server (ColdFusion Administrator > Server Settings > Mail).
- If the device is offline, the grace period starts, and there won't be any notifications.
- Only if the license expires in the next <x> days, will you receive notifications, as the device will be online.
Auto restart instances
Enable the option if you want the instances to be automatically restarted after any of the following actions:
- Activation of a license
- Deactivation
- Modify usage settings
If for any reason instances fail to restart automatically, you must restart the instances manually.
Likely scenarios
When the procurement is handled by an admin, they may need to delegate installation and activation to another admin or, in some cases, a contractor within government agencies. Can the license owner add or remove user accounts?
In NUL, the license management process follows a model similar to Adobe's licensing system. Specifically, each Adobe ID is linked to the subscriptions a user holds. For a single ColdFusion license, the license is generally intended for use by one user at a time. As such, the license owner can manage user access through the system, but it works within the structure where individual user IDs are tied to licenses, and users are expected to manage their subscriptions through their Adobe ID. There isn’t a direct path for adding/removing user accounts in the traditional sense, as user accounts are linked to subscriptions and managed via Adobe’s platform.
In environments like Kubernetes, where ColdFusion instances are dynamically created without user intervention, how does activation function, and how is the activation count managed if the instances are not connected to the internet?
In environments such as Kubernetes, where ColdFusion instances are dynamically created and may not be connected to the internet, activation works as follows:
- Activation Status: As long as the user has activated the software and does not click deactivate, the software will be considered activated even if the instances are offline.
- Deactivation Process: To deactivate the license, the user must be online to trigger the deactivation process. If the system is offline, the activation will remain intact until the user goes online and deactivates the license.
- Activation Count: The activation count remains consistent based on the active instances as long as an instance has been activated and hasn’t been deactivated since.
Frequently asked questions
View Frequently Asked Questions in ColdFusion for more information on ColdFusion Named User Licensing and Feature Restricted Licensing.