Salesforce has transformed how businesses manage customer relationships, sales processes, and marketing strategies. As businesses adopt more agile methodologies, developers need faster and more flexible environments for building and testing Salesforce applications. Salesforce Scratch Orgs offers an efficient solution to this demand.

In this article, we’ll dive deep into the features of Salesforce Scratch Org, explaining how they work, their benefits, and why they are a game-changer for Salesforce developers.

Features of Salesforce Scratch Org

What is a Salesforce Scratch Org?

A Salesforce Scratch Org is a disposable, source-driven Salesforce environment. It allows developers to create a new, clean org in seconds, which is perfect for testing and development. Developers configure scratch orgs as temporary Salesforce environments to match specific development needs. Once they complete the work, they can easily delete the org, making the process cost-effective and time-efficient.

Salesforce DX (Developer Experience) builds these orgs using a set of tools designed to improve the development lifecycle on the Salesforce platform. Salesforce Scratch Orgs provides a fully customizable and isolated environment for developers to test new features or conduct tests without affecting the production environment.

Key Features of Salesforce Scratch Orgs

1. Source-Driven Development

Salesforce Scratch Orgs enables source-driven development, allowing developers to work directly with metadata in a source format (like Git). This eliminates the need for changes to be deployed to a sandbox or production org before they are tested.

With Salesforce DX, metadata can be easily retrieved from any org and modified locally using version control tools. Developers can then push these changes back to a scratch org to test, validate, and refine their code before deployment.

2. Highly Customizable

One of the most important features of Salesforce Scratch Orgs is their ability to be highly customizable. Scratch orgs can be configured to mimic any type of Salesforce environment that is required for a project. Developers can specify various features and settings, including:

• Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Marketing Cloud.
• Lightning Experience or Salesforce Classic.
• Custom permissions, field-level security, and user profiles.
• Custom objects, fields, and Apex classes.

By customizing the org to meet specific needs, developers ensure that the environment aligns perfectly with the test cases or new features they are developing.

3. Quick Creation and Easy Deletion

Salesforce Scratch Orgs are quick to create and easy to delete. Developers can spin up a fresh org within minutes using the Salesforce CLI or Visual Studio Code. This makes it easy to start a new project or test new features without having to worry about configuration issues or long setup times.

Once developers finish the work, they can delete the scratch org immediately, freeing up resources and ensuring no lingering environments consume unnecessary storage or licenses.

4. Ideal for Continuous Integration (CI)

Salesforce Scratch Orgs integrate seamlessly with Continuous Integration tools. They are perfect for implementing DevOps practices in Salesforce development. As scratch orgs can be quickly created, tested, and destroyed, they fit perfectly into CI pipelines for automated testing, deployment, and integration.

Salesforce developers can leverage tools like Jenkins or GitLab CI to automate the creation and deletion of scratch orgs, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted workflow. This helps to identify and resolve issues faster and ensures the stability of the project.

5. Isolation of Environments

A key feature of Salesforce Scratch Orgs is their ability to be isolated from other Salesforce environments. Since scratch orgs are temporary and disposable, they don’t interfere with other developers’ work. Each developer can work on their unique environment, avoiding conflicts or dependency issues that may arise in shared environments.

This isolation allows teams to work on different features simultaneously, improving collaboration and reducing the risk of errors during development.

6. Supports Version Control

Scratch Orgs can be easily integrated with version control systems like Git. This allows developers to work with the latest version of the code, track changes, and collaborate effectively. Version control is crucial for maintaining a clean and consistent development process, especially in large teams working on Salesforce projects.

By syncing a scratch org with a repository, you can ensure that the most up-to-date version of the project is always available for testing and development. Additionally, rollback features make it simple to revert to a previous version if needed.

7. Preconfigured Features and Licenses

Salesforce Scratch Orgs come with the flexibility to pre-configure licenses, features, and permissions. You can create a scratch org that includes Salesforce features like Apex, Visualforce, Lightning Components, or Einstein Analytics based on your requirements. These settings are all defined in the scratch org definition file, allowing developers to create the org exactly as needed.

In addition, developers can configure specific user permissions to grant the right access levels during development or testing. They can customize these permissions for different profiles or users.

8. Native Support for Lightning Experience

Salesforce Scratch Orgs are optimized for Lightning Experience by default. As Salesforce is pushing customers towards adopting Lightning, scratch orgs provide an excellent way to develop and test applications in this modern UI. Developers can test Lightning components, Visualforce pages, and other Lightning-specific features in a dedicated environment before deployment.

9. Integration with Salesforce CLI

Salesforce Scratch Orgs are fully integrated with the Salesforce CLI (Command Line Interface), which is a powerful tool for interacting with Salesforce environments. Using the CLI, developers can create, manage, and delete scratch orgs directly from the command line. This tool also enables developers to retrieve, deploy, and push code from or to scratch orgs, making it easier to manage projects in a local development environment.

10. Support for Multiple Environments

Salesforce Scratch Orgs allow developers to easily switch between multiple environments and configurations. For large-scale projects with multiple features or teams, it’s essential to work in various environments simultaneously. With scratch orgs, developers can create different environments for different project requirements, streamlining the process and enhancing flexibility.

Advantages of Salesforce Scratch Orgs

Now that we’ve covered the features, let’s take a quick look at the advantages that Salesforce Scratch Orgs bring to the table:

1. Cost-Effective: Scratch orgs are temporary and don’t consume Salesforce licenses. Since they are disposed of once no longer needed, businesses save on infrastructure costs.
2. Fast and Agile Development: Developers can rapidly test new features, deploy changes, and make adjustments in a quick, isolated environment.
3. Improved Collaboration: Since scratch orgs are customizable and isolated, multiple developers can work on different parts of the same project without stepping on each other’s toes.
4. Reduced Risk: Testing in a scratch org reduces the risk of introducing bugs or errors into the production environment, ensuring the main org remains stable.
5. Enhanced Flexibility: With scratch orgs, you can create a unique environment for each feature, user story, or test case, enabling a more flexible and dynamic development process.

How to Create a Salesforce Scratch Org

Creating a Salesforce Scratch Org is straightforward. Here’s a basic step-by-step guide:

1. Install Salesforce CLI: Download and install Salesforce CLI from Salesforce DX.
2. Authenticate with Salesforce: Use the sfdx force:auth:web:login command to authenticate your Salesforce DX project with your Salesforce account.
3. Create the Scratch Org: Use the sfdx force:org:create command to spin up your scratch org based on a preconfigured definition file.
4. Push Metadata: Push your local Salesforce metadata to the newly created scratch org using sfdx force:source:push.
5. Test and Develop: Now, you can develop, test, and make modifications as needed in your scratch org.
6. Delete the Scratch Org: Once the work is complete, use the sfdx force:org:delete command to delete the scratch org.

Conclusion

Salesforce Scratch Orgs are a powerful tool that revolutionizes how developers approach Salesforce development. Their speed, flexibility, and integration with source-driven development make them indispensable for modern Salesforce DevOps teams. Whether you’re building a new app or testing new features, scratch orgs provide a clean, isolated, and cost-effective environment for development and testing.

By leveraging the full potential of Salesforce DX, developers can streamline their workflows, enhance collaboration, and accelerate the delivery of high-quality Salesforce applications.

If you’re not already using Salesforce Scratch Orgs, now is the time to embrace them. Your development process will become faster, smoother, and more efficient, ultimately driving your project to success.