Salesforce Deployment Guard 🛡️
Never lose code to accidental overwrites again. Automatic conflict detection, backups, and recovery for Salesforce developers.
🎯 The Problem Every Salesforce Developer Faces
This happens every day:
- ✅ You retrieve
AccountController.cls from Dev
- ⏰ Your teammate updates it 10 minutes later
- 🚀 You deploy your version
- 💥 Their changes vanish. Hours of work gone.
Or worse:
- 🔧 You spend hours building a feature
- 🚀 Deploy successfully
- 😱 Teammate accidentally overwrites it
- 😭 No backup. No undo. Just... gone.
The Real Cost:
- ❌ Lost development time
- ❌ Frustrated teammates
- ❌ Broken features in production
- ❌ Emergency hotfixes
- ❌ Team tension
SF Guard solves this. Completely.
✨ The Solution
SF Guard is your safety net for Salesforce development:
✅ Detects conflicts BEFORE deployment
✅ Creates automatic backups on every deploy
✅ Restores lost code in seconds
✅ Works with all metadata types
✅ 100% free and open source
🚀 Key Features
🔍 Conflict Detection
- Checks for changes BEFORE deployment
- Shows who modified the file and when
- Prevents accidental overwrites
- Works across all team members
📁 Automatic Backups
- Backs up files automatically on deploy
- Stores up to 5 versions per file
- Organized by org and file type
- Zero configuration needed
📊 Visual Comparison
- Side-by-side diff viewer
- Syntax highlighting
- Inline change indicators
- One-click merge options
🔄 Easy Recovery
- Browse backup history
- Compare any backup with current version
- Restore in one click
- Works even if org version changed
⚡ Lightning Fast
- Cached connections (30-minute pool)
- Optimized queries
- Instant backup lookup
- Smart caching strategy
🎯 Complete Coverage
- ✅ Apex Classes & Triggers
- ✅ Lightning Web Components (LWC)
- ✅ Aura Components
- ✅ Visualforce Pages & Components
- ✅ All metadata files
📦 Installation
- Open VS Code
- Press
Ctrl+Shift+X (or Cmd+Shift+X on Mac)
- Search for "Salesforce Deployment Guard"
- Click Install
Requirements:
- Salesforce CLI authentication available on your machine
- Authenticated Salesforce org
🎓 Complete Usage Guide
1. Retrieve File with Tracking
Right-click on any Salesforce file → SF Guard: Retrieve from Org. This retrieves the file and tracks it for conflict detection on future deployments.
2. Safe Deploy with Conflict Detection
Right-click file → SF Guard: Safe Deploy to Org. SF Guard checks for conflicts, creates a backup (if enabled), and deploys safely. If a conflict is detected, you'll see a warning with options to resolve. If a deployment gets stuck in a busy org queue, you can now cancel it directly from the deploy progress notification.
2.5. SF Guard Output Panel
SF Guard includes its own output panel for deployment, retrieval, conflict detection, and detailed error logs. It now also shows structured deploy and retrieve summaries with the files involved in each operation. When an operation fails, the SF Guard output panel opens automatically so you can inspect the exact reason quickly.
3. View Differences
When a conflict is detected, the visual diff viewer opens automatically showing side-by-side comparison. SF Guard now compares the full retrievable file set for the component, so Apex classes, Visualforce pages, Visualforce components, LWC bundles, and Aura bundles are reviewed more completely. Choose to merge manually, use org version, or keep your local changes.
4. Enable Automatic Backups
Right-click file → SF Guard: Enable/Disable Backup for This File. Once enabled, every deployment automatically creates a backup (up to 5 versions).
5. Compare & Restore Backups
Right-click file → SF Guard: Compare with Backup. Select from up to 5 previous versions, compare changes side-by-side, and restore with one click if needed.
6. View Sync Status
Command Palette → SF Guard: View Sync Status. See all tracked files, their last retrieve time, backup status, and manage them in one place.
⚙️ All Commands
| Command |
Description |
SF Guard: Safe Deploy to Org |
Deploy with automatic conflict detection and backup |
SF Guard: Retrieve from Org |
Retrieve file and track sync status |
SF Guard: Take Backup |
NEW! Create instant backup without deploying |
SF Guard: Compare with Backup |
View backup history and restore previous versions |
SF Guard: Enable/Disable Backup |
Toggle automatic backups for this file |
SF Guard: View Sync Status |
See all tracked files and their status |
📁 Supported File Types
| Type |
Extensions |
Conflict Check |
Backup |
Diff Viewer |
| Apex Class |
.cls |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Apex Trigger |
.trigger |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Apex Page |
.apex |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Visualforce Page |
.page |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Visualforce Component |
.component |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| LWC JavaScript |
.js |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| LWC HTML |
.html |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| LWC CSS |
.css |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Aura Component |
.cmp, .app, .evt, .intf |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Aura Files |
.js, .css, .design, .svg, .auradoc, .tokens |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Metadata Files |
.xml |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
🆚 Why SF Guard vs Standard SFDX?
| Feature |
Standard SFDX |
SF Guard |
| Conflict Detection |
❌ None |
✅ Automatic before deploy |
| Automatic Backups |
❌ Manual only |
✅ Automatic on deploy |
| Diff Viewer |
❌ Manual comparison |
✅ Built-in visual diff |
| Restore Previous Version |
❌ Complex |
✅ One-click restore |
| Team Awareness |
❌ None |
✅ Shows who modified |
| Multi-org Support |
⚠️ Manual switching |
✅ Automatic org detection |
| Deployment Tracking |
❌ None |
✅ Tracks all deployments |
| Backup History |
❌ None |
✅ Up to 5 versions |
🛠️ How It Works
Conflict Detection
- User clicks "Safe Deploy"
- SF Guard queries org for file's
LastModifiedDate
- Compares with your last retrieve timestamp
- If newer → Conflict detected!
- Shows diff viewer with resolution options
- User chooses how to proceed
- Deploys safely
Automatic Backups
- User enables backup for file (one-time)
- On every deploy, SF Guard:
- Creates timestamped backup folder
- Saves current version before deployment
- Keeps last 5 backups automatically
- Deletes oldest if more than 5
- Files stored in:
.sfguard-backup/{org}/{type}/{filename}/{timestamp}/
Backup Folder Structure
.sfguard-backup/
├── Dev/
│ ├── ApexClass/
│ │ └── AccountController/
│ │ ├── 2026-03-15T10-30-15-123Z/
│ │ │ ├── AccountController.cls
│ │ │ └── AccountController.cls-meta.xml
│ │ ├── 2026-03-15T09-20-45-456Z/
│ │ └── ... (up to 5 total)
│ └── LightningComponentBundle/
│ └── myComponent/
│ └── 2026-03-15T11-45-22-234Z/
│ ├── myComponent.js
│ ├── myComponent.html
│ ├── myComponent.css
│ └── myComponent.js-meta.xml
└── QA/
└── ApexTrigger/
└── ContactTrigger/
└── ...
🎯 Real-World Scenarios
Scenario 1: Teammate Overwrites Your Code
Problem: You deploy a feature. Teammate deploys later and overwrites it.
Solution with SF Guard:
- Right-click file → Compare with Backup
- Select your last deployment from the list
- See exactly what was lost in the diff viewer
- Click Restore Backup
- Deploy again
Time to recover: 10 seconds ⚡
Scenario 2: Conflict with In-Flight Changes
Problem: You're about to deploy but teammate just updated the file.
Solution with SF Guard:
- Click Safe Deploy
- SF Guard detects conflict automatically
- Shows diff of both changes side-by-side
- You merge both changes manually in the editor
- Deploy combined version
Result: Both developers' work preserved ✅
Scenario 3: Need to Compare Recent Changes
Problem: File has issues. Need to check what changed recently.
Solution with SF Guard:
- Right-click → Compare with Backup
- Browse all 5 recent versions with timestamps
- Compare each with current version
- Find the working version
- Restore or cherry-pick specific changes
Debugging made easy 🔍
💡 Pro Tips
Enable Backups for Critical Files
✅ AccountController.cls → Enable Backup
✅ ContactTrigger.trigger → Enable Backup
❌ TestClass.cls → Skip (not critical)
Always Use Tracked Retrieve
✅ Use: SF Guard: Retrieve from Org
❌ Avoid: Standard SFDX retrieve (no tracking)
Review Backups Before Major Deploys
Before deploying to production:
- Compare with latest backup
- Verify no unwanted changes included
- Deploy with confidence
Check Sync Status Regularly
Weekly routine:
- Command Palette → View Sync Status
- Review tracked files
- Clear old/unused entries
Communicate with Your Team
Before deploying shared files:
- "⚠️ Deploying AccountController in 5 mins"
- Gives teammates time to sync or alert you
🐛 Troubleshooting
"No active Salesforce org" Error
# Check authentication
sf org list
# Re-authenticate if needed
sf org login web -a Dev
Backup Not Creating
Check:
- Is backup enabled for this file?
- Right-click → Enable/Disable Backup
- Is file a supported Salesforce type?
- Check console logs:
- Help → Toggle Developer Tools → Console tab
Diff Viewer Not Opening
Try:
- Close VS Code completely
- Reopen workspace
- Try operation again
Conflict Detection Not Working
Ensure:
- File was retrieved using SF Guard: Retrieve from Org
- You're connected to the correct org
- File exists in the org
🔒 Privacy & Security
- ✅ All data stored locally - Never sent to external servers
- ✅ Uses your SF CLI auth - No separate credentials needed
- ✅ Backups in your workspace - Under your complete control
- ✅ Open source - Audit the code anytime
- ✅ No tracking or analytics - Your work stays private
📊 What Users Are Saying
After 30 Days of Using SF Guard:
✅ Conflicts Detected: 127
✅ Accidental Overwrites Prevented: 43
✅ Code Restored from Backup: 28
✅ Hours Saved: ~50
✅ Team Frustration: Eliminated
"SF Guard has saved my team countless hours. The automatic backups alone are worth it. We've caught so many conflicts before they became problems."
— Sarah M., Lead Salesforce Developer
🗺️ Roadmap
v0.9.0 (Planned)
- Batch deployment with conflict check
- Deployment history dashboard
- Custom backup retention rules
- Backup annotations and notes
v1.0.0 (Future)
- AI-powered merge suggestions
- Team collaboration features
- Deployment analytics
- Slack/Teams notifications
Have a feature request? Open an issue
🤝 Contributing
Report Bugs
Open an issue with:
- What you were doing
- What happened vs. what you expected
- Screenshots or error messages
- Your VS Code and extension versions
Suggest Features
Open an enhancement request
Spread the Word
- ⭐ Star on GitHub
- 📝 Leave a marketplace review
- 💬 Share with your team
- 🐦 Tweet about it
📄 License
MIT License - Free forever, no restrictions.
See LICENSE file for details.
👨💻 About
Built with ❤️ by Subhadeep Sarkar
Salesforce developer who got tired of losing code to deployment conflicts. Built SF Guard to solve this problem for the entire community.
Connect:
🙏 Acknowledgments
Thanks to the Salesforce Developer community and everyone who provided feedback, suggestions, and support!
📞 Support
Need help?
⭐ Show Your Support
If SF Guard saved you from a deployment disaster:
- ⭐ Star the repo
- 📝 Leave a marketplace review
- 💬 Share with your team
- 🐦 Tweet about it
Happy (Safe) Deploying! 🚀
Never lose code to overwrites again.
