Salesforce DevOps tools streamline different phases of the software development life cycle, empowering developers to expedite the delivery of top-notch software.
Manuel Moya Ferrer is a highly skilled freelancer who serves as a technical architect, developer, and DevOps engineer. He specializes in Salesforce solutions, covering all technical aspects of their development lifecycle.
Matthias Rolke
Freelance DevOps Consultant
Matthias is a freelance DevOps consultant for the Salesforce platform and an advisor for Hutte. He loves open-source software and maintains a few SFDX-related tools.
Article highlights
The article compares three Salesforce DevOps tools: Copado, Salto, and Hutte, highlighting their capabilities in release management, metadata exploration, and source-driven development, respectively.
Each tool is discussed with its core features, benefits, and limitations. For example, Copado offers automated testing and deployment, while Salto excels in metadata management. On the other hand, Hutte simplifies version control with a visual approach.
The tools have different pricing models and scalability options, with Copado being suitable for large organizations and Hutte offering a free plan for smaller teams. Pricing for Salto can be requested during a free trial.
They automate tasks such as version control, automated testing, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD), guaranteeing seamless and flawless deployments.
Moreover, these tools foster collaboration among development teams, facilitating coordination, enhanced visibility, and effective change management.
By doing so, they assist organizations in achieving accelerated time-to-market, heightened agility, and enhanced reliability for Salesforce applications.
Two of the top Salesforce DevOps tools in the market are Copado and Salto.
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Were you aware that there exists a tool specifically designed for source-driven development? Meet Hutte, a web UI for SFDX that revolutionizes Salesforce version control by providing a visual approach!
Capability
Best For Release Management: Copado
Best For Exploring Metadata: Salto
Metadata Deployment
Yes
Yes
Continuous Integration (CI)
Automated CI/CD pipelines.
Limited or no built-in CI/CD capabilities.
Automated Testing
Integrated testing framework.
Limited or no built-in testing capabilities.
Collaboration
Collaboration and coordination tools.
Collaboration features.
Change Management
Comprehensive change tracking.
Basic change tracking capabilities.
Deployment Automation
Automated deployment processes.
Manual deployment process.
Environment Management
Efficient environment setup and management.
Limited or no built-in environment management.
Sandbox Refresh
Sandbox refresh and data management capabilities.
Limited or no built-in sandbox refresh capabilities.
Compliance And Governance
Compliance tracking and governance features.
Limited or no built-in compliance and governance.
Reporting And Dashboards
Reporting and analytics capabilities.
Limited or no built-in reporting and dashboards.
Workflow Automation
Advanced workflow automation capabilities.
Basic workflow management capabilities.
Integrations
Integrates with popular tools and third-party services.
Limited or no third-party integrations.
Scalability
Scalable for large organizations.
Suitable for small to medium organizations.
Pricing Structure
Subscription-based pricing model.
Subscription-based pricing model.
Now, let's delve into the offerings, advancements, and constraints of these three tools in Salesforce DevOps.
Core features: Automated (robotic) UI testing, multi cloud deployment, continuous delivery for deployment processes, and built in governance and compliance.
Copado is a renowned cloud-based platform that facilitates efficient DevOps and release management for Salesforce applications.
It encompasses a comprehensive suite of tools and features that cater to the entire application development lifecycle, including planning, building, testing, deployment, and release.
With its wide array of capabilities, Copado has gained popularity among organizations seeking to streamline their software development and deployment processes. It provides numerous benefits, aiding in the seamless management of Salesforce applications throughout their lifecycle.
Here are some of the key benefits of using Copado:
The tool is designed to scale to the needs of any organization, whether it's a small business or a large enterprise
It can handle large volumes of data and support complex deployments.
Copado enables agile development
By providing a platform that encourages collaboration among team members, automated testing, and continuous software delivery.
With Copado, you can easily manage and track changes to your Salesforce code and configurations
This ensures that all changes are tracked and can be easily rolled back if necessary.
It offers robust security features to protect your Salesforce data and configurations
This ensures they are only accessible to authorized team members.
Copado's automation features help to streamline the software development process
This makes it faster and more efficient, including automated deployment and release management.
Copado’s limitations include:
Copado is a comprehensive Salesforce DevOps platform with many features and capabilities
However, this complexity can lead to a steeper learning curve for users.
Copado is a subscription-based platform which involves ongoing costs for organizations
Copado's pricing structure may not be suitable for all budgets.
Copado integrates with various external systems, such as version control repositories, CI/CD tools, and deployment environments
While this integration can be advantageous, it also introduces a dependency on these external systems. Any disruptions or changes to these systems can delay workflows.
Moreover, organizations with highly specific or unique Salesforce DevOps processes may find that certain aspects of Copado's workflows or configurations cannot be easily customized to align with their needs.
Implementing and managing Copado effectively may require dedicated resources, including administrators or DevOps specialists who can oversee and maintain the platform
This can add to the operational overhead and resource allocation within an organization.
Pricing: Pricing tiers can be requested when starting a free trial.
Core features: Salto provides a unified view of the configuration of Salesforce, it enables collaboration across teams, and it deploys changes quickly.
Salto is an open-source software configuration management tool used to manage and automate the deployment of changes to complex software systems.
It is designed to work with cloud-based applications, particularly software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms, such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and NetSuite.
Here are some of the key benefits of using Salto:
Salto is highly customizable and extensible
You can tailor the tool to fit your specific Salesforce needs and workflows. Additionally, Salto supports integrations with other tools and services, enabling you to enhance your DevOps pipeline further.
Salto uses declarative language to define the desired configuration of the software system
This allows developers and administrators to specify changes and their dependencies in a human-readable format.
Additionally, the tool provides a unified view of the system's configuration, making it easier to identify and resolve conflicts between changes made by multiple developers.
Salto automates the deployment process
This includes validation, testing, and rollback capabilities, reducing the risk of errors and downtime caused by manual deployment processes.
Salto is designed to handle large-scale deployments and can support multiple Salesforce orgs simultaneously
It enables you to easily manage complex environments and handle metadata deployments across various orgs.
Salto’s limitations include:
Salto primarily focuses on Salesforce metadata deployment and version control
However, it does not provide extensive built-in testing capabilities.
It may take some time for your team to become familiar with its declarative syntax, concepts, and best practices
Especially if your team is new to source-driven development approaches.
Moreover, while Salto allows for customization and extensibility, implementing complex Salesforce customizations or integrations can require additional development effort.
While Salto supports native integration with Salesforce, its out-of-the-box integrations with other third-party tools and services may be limited
In addition, compared to other established tools in the Salesforce ecosystem, the Salto community may be smaller. This could mean fewer available resources, tutorials, and community-generated content compared to other tools.
Salto relies on the Salesforce metadata API for interacting with Salesforce metadata
This API has limitations, such as rate limits and potential delays in reflecting changes in Salesforce orgs.
Pricing: There is a free plan and paid-for plans that range from $25 and above.
Core features: Hutte allows teams to build and ship work on the Salesforce platform more efficiently. Teams don't need to learn to install and use command-line tooling and Git. Users can take a fully prepared development environment (scratch org) from the pool.
At Hutte, we enable you to visually leverage the benefits of Git-based development without needing CLI. We have removed the barriers Git can pose as Hutte is a web UI to SFDX that allows for visual Salesforce version control.
Here are some of the key benefits of using Hutte:
You can create and manage Salesforce scratch orgs and sandboxes
There is no need for code, meaning no hassle is involved.
Furthermore, you don’t need to install or learn Git, as Hutte’s UI is already integrated into Git hosting tools, like GitLab and Azure.
From Hutte’s integrated hosting providers, you can view the changes you made
This includes your pull request in a line-by-line comparison format.
Moreover, there is no need to reproduce this data as everything is generated and integrated with Hutte.
Your team does not need to wait for another scratch org to spin up if they can take one from the pool
Hutte has a ready-to-use scratch org pool that you can tap into anytime.
Hutte offers access to Salesforce's full capabilities
This provides custom buttons on our web interface to execute complex multi-line commands, such as using our YAML push script to define the behavior of scratch orgs and development environments. Native SFDX can be used, for example, to push data or metadata within the script.
As a DevOps Consultant for Salesforce, I’m able to solve most challenges using open-source command-line tools. What I struggled with in the past is that these tools were difficult to be used by everyone on the team. Instead of throwing away my tools and getting locked into an expensive all-in-one solution, I prefer to have a DevOps tool to complement my setup.
This is where Hutte excels, it perfectly fills the gap of empowering everyone on the team with a nice UI. And I can even extend Hutte’s core features with custom buttons using my own tooling. Hutte is easy on the frontend and powerful on the backend.
Matthias Rolke
Freelance DevOps Consultant
Explore the boundless potential of Git
Embark on an exhilarating journey where chaos dissipates, and the harmonious symphony of streamlined development processes takes center stage.
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With Git as your unwavering ally, witness the seamless tracking of changes as complexities crumble. Navigate the Salesforce software development with grace and finesse, armed with the freedom to experiment, the agility to adapt, and the confidence to surge ahead.
In this grand adventure, tools like Hutte emerge as the bridge, effortlessly connecting individuals of diverse backgrounds and skill levels. Collaborate effortlessly, easily modify code, and forge a new path by crafting pull requests.
Harald is the Co-Founder of Hutte, bringing his vision of no-code DevOps to life. His passion enables teams and individuals to focus on what matters most – bringing value to the users they build for.
Samantha is Hutte's Content Manager and Chief Editor. She has over six years of experience as both a content writer and a copywriter. Bringing the written word to life is the name of her game.
