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.