Why We Choose Modern Frameworks Over VBCS for Oracle ERP Extensions
Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service is the official tool for extending Oracle Cloud. Here's why we prefer modern web frameworks instead.
When Oracle customers need to build custom interfaces for their ERP Cloud implementation, Oracle points them to Visual Builder Cloud Service (VBCS). It's the official, supported way to extend Oracle Fusion applications.
We take a different approach. Here's why.
The Promise of VBCS
VBCS sounds great on paper. It's tightly integrated with Oracle Cloud, provides pre-built connectors to Fusion data, handles authentication automatically, and is officially supported by Oracle.
For simple use cases - a basic form, a simple data lookup - it can work. But the moment you need anything beyond the basics, limitations emerge.
The Reality
Developer Experience
VBCS uses Oracle JET, a proprietary JavaScript framework that requires specialized training. Your existing web developers? They need to learn an entirely new ecosystem.
With modern frameworks, we use standard technologies that millions of developers already know. Tutorials are everywhere. When we hire, we have access to a massive talent pool, not just Oracle specialists.
Performance
VBCS applications can feel sluggish. The framework overhead, combined with Oracle Cloud's latency, creates perceptible delays that users notice.
Modern web frameworks give us server-side rendering, edge caching, and optimized builds. Applications feel responsive because they are responsive.
Hosting Flexibility
VBCS applications must run on Oracle Cloud. You're locked in.
Modern applications run anywhere - any cloud provider, any edge network. You maintain control over your infrastructure decisions.
Modern Tooling
VBCS development means using Oracle's development environment. It works, but it's not what developers prefer.
Modern stacks use industry-standard tools - popular code editors, Git-based workflows, automated deployments. Developers are more productive and happier.
How We Connect to Oracle
The obvious question: if we don't use VBCS, how do we access Oracle data?
REST APIs. Oracle Fusion Cloud exposes comprehensive REST APIs for every module. Finance, SCM, HCM, PPM - they're all accessible via standard HTTP requests.
We authenticate using OAuth 2.0, the same way any modern web application would. No proprietary protocols.
For complex integrations, Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) creates clean API endpoints that aggregate multiple Oracle services into a single call.
Our Approach
A typical project architecture:
Oracle Cloud APIs become just one data source among many. We can integrate with any system just as easily.
When VBCS Makes Sense
To be fair, there are scenarios where VBCS is reasonable:
But for serious custom applications - the ones that need to perform well, evolve over time, and attract good developers - we believe modern web frameworks are the better choice.
The Bottom Line
Oracle Cloud is excellent at what it does: running core business processes. But building great user interfaces requires different tools. Modern web frameworks have spent years optimizing for exactly this problem.
We respect Oracle's platform. We just don't limit ourselves to their frontend framework.
Want to see what a modern Oracle ERP extension looks like? [Tell us about your project](/scope) and we'll show you what's possible.
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