Testing, Debugging, and Deployment · Topic 2 of 4

Salesforce DX, the Salesforce CLI and the Developer Console

Salesforce developer tools: Salesforce DX, source-driven development, scratch orgs, Dev Hub, sf CLI commands, Code Builder and the Developer Console.

4 min

In a nutshell

Salesforce DX: source is the truth, scratch orgs are temporary, the Dev Hub creates them.
Scratch orgs default to 7 days and last at most 30.
sf project deploy start and sf project retrieve start move source; sf apex run test runs tests.

What it is

Salesforce DX is Salesforce's approach to source-driven development: the source of truth is a version-controlled project, not an org. Developers build in temporary scratch orgs, keep metadata in Git and deploy with the Salesforce CLI.

The Developer Console is a browser tool inside the org for quick tasks: running anonymous Apex, reading debug logs and running queries.

How it works

Salesforce DX building blocks

Piece	Purpose
Dev Hub	The org (usually production) that creates and manages scratch orgs and packages
Scratch org	A temporary, configurable org built from a definition file; expires after 7 days by default, up to 30 days
`project-scratch-def.json`	Edition, features and settings for a scratch org
`sfdx-project.json`	Project config: package directories and API version
Org shape	Builds scratch orgs that mimic the features of a source org
Scratch org snapshot	Captures a prepared scratch org so new ones can be created from it quickly
Unlocked packages	Versioned, modular metadata for your own orgs

Salesforce CLI (sf) commands

Command	What it does
`sf org login web`	Authorize an org in the browser
`sf org create scratch -f config/project-scratch-def.json -a dev`	Create a scratch org
`sf project deploy start`	Deploy local source to an org
`sf project retrieve start`	Retrieve metadata from an org to the project
`sf apex run test`	Run Apex tests
`sf apex run --file script.apex`	Run anonymous Apex
`sf data import tree`	Load sample data from JSON files
`sf org open`	Open the org in a browser

The older sfdx force:... commands were replaced by sf commands.

Editors

Tool	Notes
VS Code + Salesforce Extension Pack	Main desktop IDE: deploy and retrieve, run tests, Apex Replay Debugger, LWC tools, Agentforce for Developers
Code Builder	VS Code in the browser, preconfigured with the extensions
Developer Console	In the org: Execute Anonymous, logs, checkpoints, query editor, test runs, edit classes and pages

Developer Console features

Feature	Use
Execute Anonymous	Run a snippet of Apex once, in the current user's context
Logs tab	Open debug logs, filter by category and view the execution log
Query Editor	Run SOQL and SOSL; Query Plan shows whether a query is selective
Checkpoints	Inspect variable values at chosen lines in a heap dump
Tests	Run test classes and view coverage

Sandboxes versus scratch orgs

Need	Choose
Short-lived org for one feature, built from source	Scratch org
Copy of production metadata for integration testing	Developer or Developer Pro sandbox
Production-like data for performance or UAT	Partial Copy or Full sandbox

A worked example

Every new scratch org in a CI pipeline spends 40 minutes installing three managed packages and loading reference data. The team creates one scratch org, installs and loads everything, and takes a scratch org snapshot. New scratch orgs are then created from the snapshot, ready in minutes. An org shape copies features, not installed packages or data, so it does not solve this problem.

Exam tip

When a question mentions version control, scratch orgs or CI, the answer is in Salesforce DX and the CLI. When it mentions running a quick snippet in the org, it is Execute Anonymous.

How the exam asks about this

"Which org must be enabled to create scratch orgs?" A Dev Hub.
"Deploy local source to an org from a terminal." sf project deploy start.
"Check whether a SOQL query is selective." The Query Plan tool in the Developer Console.

What to remember for the exam

Salesforce DX: source is the truth, scratch orgs are temporary, the Dev Hub creates them.
Scratch orgs default to 7 days and last at most 30.
sf project deploy start and sf project retrieve start move source; sf apex run test runs tests.
VS Code and Code Builder are the main IDEs; the Developer Console is for quick in-org work.
Execute Anonymous runs Apex once as the current user.

Watch out

Changes made directly in a scratch org are lost when it expires unless they are retrieved into the project and committed to version control.

Common mistakes

Treating a scratch org as a long-lived sandbox. It expires.

Using the Developer Console for team source control. It has no version control; use the CLI and Git.

Expecting an org shape to copy data or packages. It copies features and settings only.

Check yourself

What is the role of the Dev Hub?
It creates and manages scratch orgs and second-generation packages.
Which CLI command deploys local source to an org?
sf project deploy start.
Where can you run a one-off snippet of Apex inside the org?
Execute Anonymous in the Developer Console, or sf apex run from the CLI.

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