Home > Introduction > Getting Started > Optional Configuration > Logical aliases for physical directories overview
By creating aliases for directories on your server, you can use them in your ColdFusion applications. These are referred to as mappings. You typically use two types of mappings:
ColdFusion mappings: Equates a logical path (for example, /payroll) with a physical directory path (for example, C:\finance\payroll). ColdFusion uses these mappings for the cfinclude tag, the cfmodule tag, and when locating ColdFusion components.
Web server mappings: Web server mappings also equate a logical path to a physical path, but at the web server level. Web server mappings are in effect for all requests made to a web server. In many cases, web server mappings render ColdFusion mappings unnecessary.
For details, see Create logical mappings.