In the world of Oracle Cloud development, one thing is clear: Redwood is the future. With the rollout of Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service (VBCS) Generation 3, Oracle is officially sunsetting the legacy Alta theme and pushing all development toward its sleek, modern design system — Redwood.
This shift isn’t just cosmetic. It’s part of a broader strategy across Oracle Cloud to offer a consumer-grade experience across enterprise apps like Oracle ERP Cloud, HCM Cloud, and SCM Cloud.
So if you're still running apps on the older Alta theme, now is the time to start planning your migration.
🌄 From Alta to Redwood: What's Changing?
Let’s rewind a bit.
If your app was built on VBCS version 20.07 or earlier, chances are it's still using the Alta theme — a UI pattern based on Oracle JET (JavaScript Extension Toolkit) from several years ago.
With VBCS Gen 3, any new application you create will default to Redwood, Oracle’s cutting-edge design language.
** Why this matters**: Oracle is deprecating Alta. It may still “work,” but it’s no longer supported for modern development. Future features, performance enhancements, and support will all center around Redwood.
What Makes Redwood So Different?
Redwood is not just a theme — it’s a complete design system that brings modern aesthetics and a vastly improved user experience to Oracle Cloud applications. Here's how it changes the game:
1. Consistency Across Oracle Cloud
Redwood ensures visual and UX consistency across all Oracle Cloud apps — whether you're managing employees in HCM, tracking supply chains in SCM, or working with financials in ERP.
Example: A user moving from an Oracle ERP Cloud dashboard to a VBCS-built app won't feel disoriented — the navigation, buttons, fonts, and colors match perfectly.
2. Simplicity & Productivity
Redwood emphasizes streamlined navigation, less visual clutter, and fewer clicks.
Real-world scenario: In a Redwood-styled procurement app, users can approve purchase orders with just two clicks — compared to four or five in an older Alta-based UI.
3. Modern Technology Stack
Redwood brings with it a ton of under-the-hood improvements:
CSS Variables: Developers can now theme apps using over 100+ customizable CSS variables, allowing for smarter, modular design.
Stable Theme Version: To protect apps from accidental updates breaking your CSS, Oracle introduced Redwood Stable. Once you customize, VBCS automatically switches to the stable version to lock down the base theme.
Example: If you change the background color of your app header in the redwood-overrides.css, VBCS ensures that a future Oracle update won't unexpectedly revert it or break your layout.
4. Enhanced Customization
Customization is easier and cleaner in Redwood:
Custom CSS goes in specific override files like redwood-overrides.css.
Built-in light and dark mode support makes theme switching a breeze.
Example: For a high-contrast dark mode in your Redwood app, simply use redwood-overrides-dark.css and deploy based on user preference or time of day.
5. Next-Gen Components with Core Pack
VBCS now includes Core Pack components, which offer:
Faster rendering via Virtual DOM
Better runtime performance
Modern behaviors like inline editing and responsive grid layouts
Heads-up: Core Pack components don’t support theming (yet). If you're building heavily themed apps, you’ll need to use the legacy components for now.
How to Upgrade Your VBCS App from Alta to Redwood
Ready to make the switch? Here’s a simple step-by-step to migrate your application:
✅ Step 1: Open the Application
From the Navigator pane, select your existing VBCS app.
✅ Step 2: Go to Settings
Navigate to the Settings tab and choose General.
✅ Step 3: Choose the Redwood Theme
From the Theme dropdown, pick Redwood Stable — not just "Redwood" — to ensure you're protected from future breaking changes.
✅ Step 4: Test and Redesign
Alta and Redwood have different spacing, padding, and component behaviors. You’ll likely need to adjust layouts, especially in dashboards, cards, and data tables.
Pro tip: Use VBCS preview mode on multiple screen sizes to verify responsiveness and theming across devices.
** Case Study: Upgrading a Travel Request App**
An internal travel request app built in 2020 using Alta was recently upgraded by a client. Post-migration to Redwood:
Form inputs and buttons were automatically modernized.
Navigation was reduced from 3 clicks to 1 using Redwood’s guided UI flows.
Theme consistency with Oracle ERP Cloud made the app feel like a native extension, not a separate tool.
** Final Thoughts: Why Upgrade Now?**
Oracle is fully committing to Redwood as its UI standard — and that means long-term support, security patches, and new components will revolve around it.
If you're still on Alta, you’re not just missing out on style — you're falling behind in performance, UX, and maintainability.
Don't wait for Oracle to force your hand. Upgrade to Redwood now and start building faster, better-looking, and more future-proof Oracle Cloud apps.
Next Steps:
Check if your apps are using Alta (Settings > General)
Start a test migration in a development instance
Familiarize your team with Redwood overrides and component updates
If you need help modernizing your Oracle VBCS applications, feel free to reach out.
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