Mappings are aliases ColdFusion uses to reference specific folders. You can use mappings within your ColdFusion application code.
ColdFusion mappings are internal to ColdFusion only and are different than Web Server virtual directory mappings.
We recommend using mappings for CFCs and other code that you want to be able to access through CF code only. One popular use case for mappings is to reference files outside of the webroot. You can also define mappings at the application level in application.cfc. It is also possible to specify mappings on a per-application basis by setting Enable Per App Settings on the Settings page.
Two mappings are created automatically during the installation of ColdFusion (CFIDEand gateway). These should not be changed or removed.