Salesforce CLI and VS Code Setup
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to:
- Install and verify Salesforce CLI (sf)
- Set up VS Code with the Salesforce Extension Pack
- Identify the key extensions used throughout this course
Prerequisites: Module 1: "Project: Build a Hello Salesforce Component"
Why Local Development, Not the Developer Console
Developer Console (the browser-based tool built into Salesforce) works fine for quick Apex edits, but it has no real support for LWC file bundles, no source control integration, and none of the modern editor features — autocomplete, inline linting, multi-file refactoring — that make component development manageable at any real scale. Professional LWC development happens in a local editor with CLI tooling, not in the browser.
Installing Salesforce CLI
npm install --global @salesforce/cli
sf --versionsf is the current, actively developed Salesforce CLI. You'll see older tutorials and existing org documentation reference sfdx commands (sfdx force:...) — that CLI has been superseded by sf. Recognize sfdx syntax when you see it, but use sf going forward.
VS Code and the Salesforce Extension Pack
Install Visual Studio Code, then search the Extensions marketplace for "Salesforce Extension Pack" and install it. This single pack bundles everything you need:
- Salesforce CLI Integration
- Salesforce Apex
- Salesforce Lightning Web Components
- Apex Replay Debugger
- (optionally) Lightning Explorer, for browsing an org's component metadata
Key Extension Features You'll Use
- Command Palette integration —
Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P, then type "SFDX:" to see every deploy/retrieve/org command available without leaving the editor. - The Problems panel — compile errors and warnings surface inline as you type, not just after a deploy attempt.
- IntelliSense — autocomplete for LWC template bindings and Salesforce base components (
lightning-button,lightning-input, and dozens more) as you type them.
Exercise
Write the exact terminal command to install Salesforce CLI via npm, and the command to verify it installed correctly.
Show hint
One command installs globally; the other just checks the version.
Exercise
Challenge: explain, as a comment, why Developer Console — which works fine for Apex — isn't a viable tool for building Lightning Web Components.
Show hint
Think about file bundles, source control, and editor tooling.
Salesforce CLI and VS Code Setup Quiz
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Summary
Real LWC development happens locally, in a proper editor with CLI tooling — not in the browser-based Developer Console. This lesson sets up the toolchain every later lesson assumes.