Salesforce Compare

VS Code / Cursor extension that compares local Salesforce DX source files with the connected Org (retrieve-only). It shows sync status on tabs/explorer and opens a Git-style diff against the Org version.

Current version: 1.1.0 · Publisher: LeftConsult

• VS Code / Visual Studio Marketplace: LeftConsult.salesforce-compare
• Cursor (Open VSX): open-vsx.org/extension/LeftConsult/salesforce-compare — after Open VSX publish, search Salesforce Compare in Cursor Extensions

What's new in 1.1.0

• Diff with Org order — side-by-side diff shows Local on the left and the Original Org on the right (same reading order as Diff with Other Org)
• Missing file in comparison Org — Diff with Other Org… opens an empty Org side when the metadata does not exist in the selected Org (with a clear toast), instead of showing the local file as if it were in that Org

See CHANGELOG.md for the full history (including 1.0.0 Multi-Org / Connected Orgs).

Features

• Auto-check on open — when you open an eligible Salesforce source file, the extension retrieves the Org version in the background and compares it locally. Opening another file queues a new job without cancelling previous ones; each file’s tab/explorer badge updates when its own compare finishes.
• Tab / Explorer flags — green ● when equal to Org, red ● when different, … while checking, ! on error.
• Status bar result — SF Equal (green check), SF Different (red highlight), SF Comparing…, or SF Error. Click it for the detailed toast.
• Show Compare Result — toast with Equal to Org / Different from Org / Comparing…, last check age, Org, and background job count; Diff / Recheck actions when useful.
• Diff with Org — command and right-click menu open a side-by-side diff: Local (left) ↔ Original Org (right).
• Diff with Other Org… — pick a comparison Org and open Local (left) ↔ that Org (right). If the file is not in that Org, the right side is empty and a toast explains it.
• Save awareness — saving local changes marks the file as different when it no longer matches the last Org snapshot.
• Deploy awareness — after a successful sf project deploy (terminal) or known Salesforce Extension Pack deploy signals, open eligible files are rechecked.
• Never deploys — the extension only runs retrieve for comparison.
• Multi-Org (comparison) — Activity Bar view Salesforce Compare → Connected Orgs lists the Original Org (auto-check) and extra Orgs used only for Diff with Other Org….

Status meanings

Prerequisites

• Salesforce CLI (sf) on PATH
• A project with sfdx-project.json
• An authenticated target org
• Recommended: Salesforce Extension Pack so the default org can be reused

Install

From Visual Studio Marketplace (VS Code)

1. Open Extensions in VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+X)
2. Search for Salesforce Compare
3. Click Install (or Update to get 1.1.0)

Or install directly: Salesforce Compare on Marketplace

From Cursor (Open VSX)

Cursor uses the Open VSX registry (not the Microsoft Marketplace).

1. Open Extensions in Cursor (Ctrl+Shift+X)
2. Search for Salesforce Compare (publisher LeftConsult)
3. Click Install

Listing: LeftConsult/salesforce-compare on Open VSX

From VSIX (manual)

npm install
npm run build
npm run package

Then in VS Code / Cursor: Extensions → … → Install from VSIX… and select the generated .vsix (salesforce-compare-1.1.0.vsix).

Commands

Settings

Org resolution order

1. salesforceCompare.targetOrg setting
2. Salesforce Extension Pack default username / target org
3. sf config get target-org for the workspace

That resolved Org is the Original Org (badges / auto-check / Diff with Org). Additional Orgs added in the Connected Orgs sidebar are comparison-only and do not change the project default.

Eligible files

Files under typical DX layouts (force-app / main/default), including:

• Apex: .cls, .trigger
• LWC / Aura: .js, .html, .css under lwc/ or aura/
• Visualforce: .page, .component
• Metadata XML: standalone *-meta.xml (objects, fields, layouts, flows, permission sets, profiles, flexipages, validation rules, tabs, custom applications, etc.)
• Companion meta files (e.g. MyClass.cls-meta.xml, LWC *.js-meta.xml) are not compared on their own — compare the primary source file instead

Development

npm install
npm run watch

Press F5 in VS Code/Cursor to launch an Extension Development Host.

npm run compile   # typecheck
npm run build     # production bundle
npm run package   # create VSIX

Architecture (short)

• SfCliAdapter — only module that shells out to sf (retrieve / org list / login terminal; never deploy)
• OrgResolver — picks Original Org (setting → SF Extension → CLI)
• OrgConnectionService / ConnectedOrgsStore — comparison Orgs (workspace-scoped)
• ConnectedOrgsTreeProvider — Activity Bar sidebar
• CompareService — background queue → retrieve → cache → hash → status (Original); scoped retrieve for Other Org diffs
• FileDecorationProvider — green/red badges on tabs/explorer
• StatusBarController — Equal / Different / Comparing result + severity colors
• DeployWatcher — reacts to deploy success, never deploys

License

MIT — see LICENSE.