Frequently Asked Questions

• General
• What is ColdBricks?
• What types of sites can be created using ColdBricks?
• Is ColdBricks for me?
• Do I need to know ColdFusion to be able to use ColdBricks?
• Can I use ColdBricks to manage my existing website?


• Licensing
• How is ColdBricks Licensed?
• How much does ColdBricks cost?
• Can I distribute/sell sites that I create using ColdBricks?


• Technical
• What are the system requirements?
• What database does ColdBricks use?
• Does ColdBricks support Railo, Open BlueDragon, etc?
• What is the installation process?
• What is the default username and password?
• I'm stuck, where do I go for help?

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General

What is ColdBricks?

ColdBricks is a free and open source web application for building and managing modular websites and portals.
ColdBricks provides an extensible, customizable and easy to use platform upon which to build custom solutions for your projects.

What types of sites can be created using ColdBricks?

The strength of ColdBricks is on the reusability and modularization of the components of a website, therefore sites that can benefit of these characteristics are more suited for ColdBricks. ColdBricks is ideal for managing sites that can be decomposed on functional or content units and in which those units are reused again and again throughout the site although with different arrangements and configurations.
ColdBricks have been used to create sites like personal start pages, news agregators, social networking communities, and even traditional brochure-type sites.
If you would like to discuss if ColdBricks is right for you please send us an email to info@coldbricks.com

Is ColdBricks For Me?

Although ColdBricks has been developed with ease of use in mind, it does help to have a basic knowledge or understanding of web terminology and concepts.
Also, you will need to have access to a webserver in which to deploy ColdBricks.
If you would like to discuss if ColdBricks is right for you please send us an email to info@coldbricks.com

Do I need to know ColdFusion to be able use ColdBricks?

No, you can use ColdBricks to create and manage sites without writing a single ColdFusion line of code. However in order to create customized modules or extend the included module libraries you will need to have some ColdFusion programming knowledge to do so.

Can I manage my existing site with ColdBricks?

Since ColdBricks relies on sites being built using a particular architecture (especifically ColdBricks relies on on the HomePortals framework), you will first need to make sure your site integrates with the HomePortals environment. Luckily HomePortals has been proved to work seamlessly with many of the popular ColdFusion frameworks, so chances are that a smooth and seamless integration is very likely.

For simple content based sites (i.e. no database) the integration can be as simple as replicating your site layout and porting the content in html templates into a ColdBricks Resource Library. After which, ColdBricks will give you the freedom to manage and control all these resources and even experiment with different layouts and ideas.
For more complex sites, the migration would require a more customized approach and would depend on the particulars of the site design and architecture. But, like mentioned before, the characteristics of HomePortals make it very amenable to be integrated into other frameworks and architectures.

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Licensing

How is ColdBricks Licensed?

ColdBricks is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3

How Much ColdBricks Costs?

ColdBricks is FREE and Open Source! However, we follow the Professional Open Source model and if you need, we can provide you with custom development and training. Click Here to learn more about our professional services.

Can I Distribute/Sell Sites Created Using ColdBricks?

Yes, you can use ColdBricks to create a site and then what you do with that site is completely up to you. Once a site is created it does not require the ColdBricks application to function, it only requires the HomePortals framework, which is also open source and freely distributable under the LGPL license.

If you wish to distribute ColdBricks along with your generated site, then it must be under the terms of the GPL license, which pretty much states that you have to distribute the source code along with it and leave the original license and copyright terms intact.

On the other hand, if you wish to distribute a branded version ColdBricks as an OEM and not abide by the terms of the GPL, you may contact us at info@coldbricks.com to discuss different licensing options.

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Technical

What are the System Requirements?

Since the sites created and managed by ColdBricks rely on the HomePortals framework to function, ColdBricks itself has a very small footprint in your server (around 15mb including the data directory).
Additional requirements:

What Database does ColdBricks use?

ColdBricks does not require a database.

Does it support BlueDragon, Railo, etc?

For the time being, ColdBricks officially only supports Adobe ColdFusion 8 (and higher) and Railo 3

What is the Installation Process?

Installing ColdBricks is very simple, just unzip the download package and copy the ColdBricks directory into the webroot of your server and you are done.
Also, make sure you have the latest version of the HomePortals framework installed on the /homePortals directory.
Once installed on your server, you can access ColdBricks by opening your browser and going to http://<your_server>/coldBricks/. The default username is admin with password admin
IMPORTANT! change your password as soon as you log into ColdBricks!!

What is the Default Username and Password?

When you install ColdBricks the default user always has username admin and password admin.

I'm stuck, where do I go for help?

Community based support is always available from the Forums. Additionally, if you would like us to take care of your project or require a more formal level of support, contact us about our professional services.

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