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scratch-org-snapshots
Use Scratch Org Snapshots to reduce CI bring-up time from 10–20 minutes to under 2. NOT for persistent sandbox provisioning — use devops/scratch-org-pools.
Open the skill folder on GitHub
Scratch Org Snapshots
Scratch Org Snapshots (GA) capture a fully configured scratch org so new ones can be created from the snapshot in seconds. For orgs with multiple managed package installs and large metadata pushes, this cuts CI bring-up from 15 minutes to under 2.
Adoption Signals
CI bring-up >5 minutes, especially with 3+ managed package installs or heavy data seed.
- Slow scratch org creation that bottlenecks PR feedback — snapshots cut bring-up from minutes to seconds.
- Heavy package install graphs (3+ managed deps) where each
sfdx force:package:installadds linear setup time.
Recommended Workflow
- Create a base scratch org with all managed packages installed, baseline metadata pushed, and seed data loaded.
sf org create snapshot --name nightly-base --source-org <aliased-scratch>— takes 10–15 min, Dev Hub operation.- Reference the snapshot in your scratch-def.json:
"snapshot": "nightly-base". - Add a nightly GitHub Action to recreate the snapshot so it stays fresh against package updates.
- CI workflows create scratch orgs from the snapshot with
sf org create scratch --definition-file ...— sub-2-minute bring-up.
Key Considerations
- Snapshots are Dev Hub scoped; one per Dev Hub.
- Stale snapshots drift from managed-package updates; nightly refresh is mandatory.
- Snapshot includes data; keep seed minimal to avoid bloat.
- Snapshot quota limits: check Setup → Dev Hub → Snapshots.
Worked Examples (see references/examples.md)
- Multi-package org — 3 managed packages
- Nightly refresh workflow — Snapshot drift
Common Gotchas (see references/gotchas.md)
- Stale snapshot — CI builds pass but production deploy fails.
- Snapshot with seed data — Tests pass only against seed data; real-world bug missed.
- Region mismatch — Snapshot in one Dev Hub region, scratch org created elsewhere.
Top LLM Anti-Patterns (full list in references/llm-anti-patterns.md)
- Weekly-only snapshot refresh
- Huge seed data in snapshot
- Forgetting to update snapshot after package upgrade
Official Sources Used
- Salesforce DX Developer Guide — https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.sfdx_dev.meta/sfdx_dev/
- Unlocked Packaging — https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.sfdx_dev.meta/sfdx_dev/sfdx_dev_dev2gp.htm
- SF CLI — https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.sfdx_cli_reference.meta/sfdx_cli_reference/
- DevOps Center — https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.devops_center_overview.htm
- Scratch Org Snapshots — https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.sfdx_dev.meta/sfdx_dev/sfdx_dev_scratch_orgs_snapshots.htm
- sfdx-hardis — https://sfdx-hardis.cloudity.com/