Developer Edition
Developer Edition is the free Salesforce edition Salesforce gives to anyone who wants a full-featured org for learning, building, testing, or evaluating the platform without buying a production license.
Definition
Developer Edition is the free Salesforce edition Salesforce gives to anyone who wants a full-featured org for learning, building, testing, or evaluating the platform without buying a production license. Each Developer Edition org includes most platform features (custom objects, Apex, Lightning components, Flow, Reports, Dashboards), a small data storage allotment, two user licenses, and access to Salesforce APIs. The edition is the default learning environment for Trailhead, certification preparation, and individual developer work; ISV partners use Developer Edition orgs as the base for building managed packages.
Developer Edition exists to lower the barrier to learning Salesforce. A developer or admin who wants to try the platform, build a proof of concept, or work through Trailhead modules does not need to find an existing org with sandbox access; they sign up for a Developer Edition at developer.salesforce.com and have a personal org in minutes. The edition has limits that make it unsuitable for production (2 users, low storage, no service-level guarantee) but those limits are intentional; the edition is for learning and building, not for operating a business.
Why Developer Edition is the universal learning environment for the Salesforce ecosystem
How to get a Developer Edition org
Sign up at developer.salesforce.com. Provide email, name, username (must be unique across Salesforce; appending a random number is common), security question. Salesforce provisions the org within minutes; the welcome email contains the org's login URL, the username, and a temporary password to reset on first login. The org is yours indefinitely as long as you log in periodically; long-idle Developer Edition orgs may be reclaimed (typically after 365 days of no login).
What features Developer Edition includes
Most platform features. Custom objects (up to 400), custom fields (per-object limits as in Enterprise), Apex classes and triggers, Lightning Web Components, Aura Components, Visualforce, Process Builder, Flow Builder, Reports, Dashboards, Salesforce CLI access, Workbench access, Permission Sets, Profiles, Sharing Rules, Validation Rules, Approval Processes, Salesforce APIs (REST, SOAP, Bulk, Streaming, Metadata). The breadth is significant; most learning and proof-of-concept work uses features that Developer Edition supports.
What Developer Edition does not include
Edition-restricted features. Sandbox refresh (cannot create sandboxes off a Developer Edition org). Production-scale storage (typically 5 MB data + 20 MB files vs many GB on production). Production user license counts (2 users vs unlimited on production tiers). Service-level guarantees (Developer Edition is best-effort availability). Some enterprise add-ons (Shield Platform Encryption, some Industries Cloud features) are not available or have limited testing scope. The limits make Developer Edition unsuitable for production but fine for learning.
Developer Edition vs Trailhead Playground vs Scratch Orgs
Three free-org options. Developer Edition: persistent personal org with most features, lives indefinitely with periodic login. Trailhead Playground: persistent personal org spawned from Trailhead, scoped for Trailhead module work, lives as long as the Trailhead account. Scratch Org: temporary org provisioned through Salesforce DX for source-tracked development, lives 7 to 30 days by default. Pick based on need: Developer Edition for long-term personal learning, Trailhead Playground for module work, Scratch Org for DX-style code development.
ISV partner use case and the managed package base
ISV partners use Developer Edition orgs as the development base for managed packages. The pattern: develop the package in a Developer Edition org, upload to the AppExchange Partner Portal, distribute through AppExchange. The Developer Edition is the namespace-isolated source for the package; partners typically have multiple Developer Edition orgs for different packages or for different versions of the same package. The free edition keeps the partner development cost low.
Certification preparation and the practice org
Most Salesforce certification preparation uses Developer Edition orgs as the practice environment. Building Flows, configuring Permission Sets, creating Validation Rules, writing Apex are all hands-on activities that Developer Edition supports fully. The practice org reinforces what the candidate learns from Trailhead, study guides, and practice exams. Most certified Salesforce professionals have at least one Developer Edition org from their certification preparation; some have many for ongoing learning.
Maintenance, login cadence, and the reclamation risk
Developer Edition orgs are reclaimed after extended inactivity (typically 365 days of no login). The reclamation deletes the org permanently; admins who let their Developer Edition org sit unused for a year find it gone. The maintenance discipline: log in every few months to reset the inactivity clock. For orgs holding work the admin wants to preserve, the discipline is non-optional; the org is reclaimed without notice once the threshold elapses.
How to get and maintain a Developer Edition org
The pattern: sign up at developer.salesforce.com, log in periodically to prevent reclamation, use for learning and building, graduate to sandboxes or production orgs when work warrants. The cost is zero; the value is access to a full-featured Salesforce environment for indefinite use.
- Sign up at developer.salesforce.com
Provide email, name, username (must be globally unique on Salesforce), security question. Salesforce provisions the org within minutes.
- Log in and reset the temporary password
Welcome email contains the login URL and temporary password. First login forces password reset.
- Explore the org and verify feature access
Object Manager, Setup, Flow Builder, Apex Developer Console. Confirm the features you plan to use are accessible.
- Use for Trailhead modules, certification prep, or proof-of-concept work
The org supports most learning activities. Configure objects, write Apex, build Flows, configure Permission Sets.
- Log in every few months to prevent reclamation
Inactivity reclamation runs at 365 days. Periodic login resets the clock; calendar reminder helps.
- Document the org URL and username
Easy to lose track of which Developer Edition org is for what. Maintain a list with purpose and last-login date.
- Graduate to sandbox or Trial Edition when work needs production-grade features
Developer Edition limits make it unsuitable for production. When work needs more (sandbox refresh, production user counts), move to the appropriate edition.
Developer Edition; free, persistent, full-feature for learning.
2 users included. No expansion beyond the included count.
Small (typically 5 MB data, 20 MB files). Suitable for learning, not production data volume.
365 days typical before reclamation. Periodic login resets the clock.
Most platform features available; some enterprise add-ons and sandbox refresh excluded.
- Developer Edition orgs reclaim after extended inactivity. Periodic login is non-optional for orgs with work to preserve.
- The username must be globally unique on Salesforce. Common names are taken; appending a random number or organizational suffix is usual.
- Developer Edition is not suitable for production. The user count, storage, and SLA limits are intentional and not expandable.
- Some enterprise features (Shield, certain Industries Cloud) are not available or limited in Developer Edition. Confirm feature scope before assuming the org supports your use case.
- Sandbox refresh is not supported from Developer Edition. Use a Trial Edition or partner-provided sandbox for sandbox-required workflows.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Salesforce DevelopersSalesforce
- Developer Edition referenceSalesforce
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Developer Edition.
- Developer Edition signupSalesforce Developers
- Developer EditionSalesforce Help
- TrailheadSalesforce
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Developer Edition.
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
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