Lightning Platform Light App
A simpler custom application on the Salesforce Lightning Platform with fewer tabs and functionality.
Definition
A simpler custom application on the Salesforce Lightning Platform with fewer tabs and functionality. It's typically used for lightweight use cases that need limited custom objects and basic automation.
In plain English
“A Lightning Platform Light App is a simpler custom application on Salesforce with fewer tabs and less functionality than an Enterprise App. It's for lightweight use cases that just need a few custom objects and basic automation, not full-blown enterprise complexity.”
Worked example
Cottonbridge Software builds a Lightning Platform Light App for an internal employee-feedback tool - three custom objects (Submission, Category, Reviewer), one Lightning page layout per object, two Flows for routing submissions, and one report. No complex automation, no Apex, no external integrations. The Light App takes one developer two weeks instead of the months a full Enterprise App would take. It serves the modest use case (a small internal tool) without the overhead of building enterprise-grade complexity. Lightning Platform Light Apps are the right-sizing tier for simple custom-app needs.
Why Lightning Platform Light App matters
A Lightning Platform Light App is a simpler custom application on the Salesforce Lightning Platform designed for lightweight use cases. Compared to a full Enterprise App, Light Apps typically have fewer tabs, fewer custom objects, simpler automation, and lighter customization. They're appropriate when you need a custom Salesforce app for a specific limited purpose but don't need the complexity (or licensing cost) of a full enterprise application.
The Light App concept reflects Salesforce's recognition that not every custom app needs the full platform tier. For small, focused use cases, lighter licensing tiers can be more cost-effective. The exact licensing details have evolved over time, so current pricing should be verified with Salesforce documentation. Knowing about the distinction helps when planning Salesforce deployments and matching license tiers to actual use case requirements.
How organizations use Lightning Platform Light App
Helps clients evaluate whether Light App or Enterprise App licensing fits their custom application needs based on complexity.
Built a small internal request tracking app as a Light App rather than the full enterprise tier, matching the lighter licensing to the simpler use case.
Treats Light App versus Enterprise App as a cost-versus-capability trade-off to evaluate per use case.
Test your knowledge
Q1. What is a Lightning Platform Light App?
Q2. When is a Light App appropriate?
Q3. What's the trade-off?
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