Nowadays, Salesforce has evolved as an essential tool that helps many organizations develop a CRM platform that can successfully provide them with an opportunity to grow. However, automating the development lifecycle in Salesforce projects involves using Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment or CI/CD lines to release software since the process is crucial in the delivery process to avoid more common mistakes. Implementing DevOps specifically for Salesforce has become the tool of choice in attaining these objectives.
In this blog, we discuss the best Dev tools for implementing CI/CD for Salesforce technology and provide ideas of how they assist developers, admins, and organizations at large.
Also Read: Optimizing CI/CD Pipelines with DevOps Best Practices
What Makes Salesforce CI/CD Unique?
Before diving into the tools, it’s crucial to understand what sets Salesforce CI/CD apart:
- Metadata-Driven Architecture: Salesforce differs from other programming platforms targeting customization where metadata functions as the main point. This makes the management of code and configuration changes a distinctive proposition.
- Declarative and Programmatic Development: Salesforce provides declarative tools (point-and-click) and programmatic development tools (Apex, Visualforce, LWC), so DevOps tools are mandatory to combine these technologies.
- Multi-Tenant Environment: This means that the deployment process requires an extraordinary level of versioning and merging, especially for multi-Tenant applications.
Let’s look at the top tools intended to address these issues.
Top DevOps Tools for Salesforce CI/CD Integration
1. Gearset
Overview: Gearset is funny, but It is one of the easiest-to-use DevOps platforms with powerful CI/CD functionalities made specifically for Salesforce.
Key Features:
- It makes deployments easier to perform and has an easy-to-use graphical user interface.
- It supports testing and scenarios altogether with rollback abilities provided by an automated testing system.
- Full and customizable metadata comparison and modification.
Best For: Salesforce admins and developers who want a straightforward way to work with their Salesforce applications.
2. Copado
Overview: Copado is a pioneering DevOps platform designed to be deployed in the Salesforce system.
Key Features:
- Starting from the planning and going up to the monitoring stage, end-to-end DevOps workflow assistance.
- CI/CD visual management of the pipeline.
- Test automation is integrated into the application, and compliance is tracked.
Best For: Organizations requiring heavy connection within the Salesforce platform.
3. AutoRABIT
Overview: AutoRABIT is involved in improving Salesforce release management and CI/CD.
Key Features:
- Using the backup and recovery features that are provided for the product on an automated basis.
- Git and SVN integration with the version control system.
- Life cycle management for Optimized Salesforce environments with complex deployments.
Best for:Â This product is likely to benefit only teams working on complex projects that involve multiple customizations in Salesforce orgs.
4. Flosum
Overview: FloSum is a solution developed on Salesforce. Its native Salesforce environment strengthens its position as a DevOps tool.
Key Features:
- Inherently controllable with auditing management.
- Interactive and shift-based pipeline configuration where you can drag and drop your software components.
- Salesforce Shield is tightly integrated to enhance its security significantly.
Best For: Companies operating in highly prescriptive industries such as health or insurance.
5. Blue Canvas
Overview: This is a simple, lightweight DevOps tool that operates within Salesforce and is aimed at developers. It features version control and the application of CI/CD.
Key Features:
- Real-time metadata tracking.
- Another problem that can be addressed is the ability to handle checkpoints where failed rollbacks are easy to roll back and begin afresh.
- Git-based version control.
Best For: Small workgroups searching for a cheap and efficient way.
Also Read: Top 10 DevOps Certifications of 2024: A Comprehensive Guide
FAQs About Salesforce CI/CD and DevOps
1. What is CI/CD in Salesforce?
CI/CD in Salesforce is thereby a method of streamlining code integration, deploying change, and more effectively delivering updates to Salesforce environments.
2. Why is the DevOps approach required in Salesforce implementations?
Due to SF’s metadata-driven and multi-tenant architecture, manual deployments used to be made. DevOps tools help in this by offering automated solutions, managing versions in a development process, and even rolling back processes.
3. Do these tools work with declarative and programmatic change directions?
Yes, various DevOps leaders, for example, Gearset and Copado, are created to merge declarative/point-and-click changes alongside programmed/point-and-click changes like Apex or LWC.
4. What should I know while selecting the Salesforce DevOps tool?
Factors such as simplicity, compliance capabilities, connectivity to supporting software tools (like Git), and user requirements (like cost-effectiveness or expansiveness) matter, too.
5. These tools are applicable for helping small teams?
Absolutely. Blue Canvas and Gearset are rather effective scalar tools, affordable for small teams but including enterprise-level instruments.
6. In what way can the DevOps tools be of help in data migration to Salesforce?
AutoRABIT and Flosum are examples of DevOps tools that make it easy to migrate Salesforce data since they help validate data and prevent errors. Some of the features they include are metadata backup, data masking, and Deployability across environments.
7. Where does version control come into play in Salesforce CI/CD?
Versioning is very important in Salesforce CI/CD to keep track of any changes made and their history and avoid merge conflicts during deployment. Nowadays, tools like Git, Blue Canvas, or Gearset can help teams manage states and changes and make the necessary rollbacks when necessary.
8. Is it possible for the tools in DevOps to perform testing in Salesforce projects?
Indeed, various Salesforce DevOps tools, including Copado and Gearset, include testing capabilities. They enable the running of Apex tests, a way of checking metadata changes and confirming the readiness of a deployment for usability in a production environment.
9. Are there any DevOps tools in Salesforce that are compliance orientation?
Absolutely. However, solutions like Flosum and Copado are developed while considering compliance concerns. They provide audit trails and access controls and integrate with Salesforce Shield to solve any business’s compliance and security issues.
10. This article addresses a critical aspect of using DevOps tools in Salesforce: how do these tools handle dependencies in metadata?
In the deployment process, DevOps tools identify the dependencies of metadata and/or solve them to generate successful releases. For instance, Gearset has a dependency tracking feature, information that aids these teams in resolving problems before they become deployment impediments.
Summing Up
With today’s releases requiring shorter sprints to work through, using Salesforce DevOps tools is no longer a luxury. They release the authority to teams, help to deliver high-quality results and guarantee a shorter time to market. If you are an admin performing metadata change or a developer writing complex logic, it is all about using the right tool.
Deploying Salesforce CI/CD is not a trivial process, but by learning the characteristics of various solutions, such as Gearset, Copado, AutoRABIT, Flosum, or Blue Canvas, your team can improve the delivery of your Salesforce projects.
