flxbl - Continuous Delivery

Links

Website	https://www.fxlbl.io/
Documentation	https://docs.flxbl.io/flxbl
Codebase	https://github.com/flxbl-io/

Use case

flxbl addresses the painful reality of enterprise Salesforce DevOps:

1. Deployment Hell Traditional Salesforce deployments are a nightmare. Hours-long deployments, manual cherry-picking between release branches, deployment failures at the last minute, and that one person who knows the "right" order to deploy things. Without enforced structure, deployments become a full-time job for someone on the team.

2. Forced Modularity Like fflib forces code structure, flxbl forces deployment structure. It won't work unless you properly modularize your org. No more giant, monolithic deployments where everything depends on everything else. You're forced to think in packages, boundaries, and clean dependencies from day one.

3. Shift-Left Testing Instead of finding deployment issues after merging (requiring painful rollbacks), flxbl validates everything during the PR phase. Every PR gets its own environment, automatically validated before merge. When deployment fails, you fix the PR - not roll back commits from main.

4. Single Trunk Development No more release branch hell. No more cherry-picking commits. No more "which branch has the latest version?" confusion. Single trunk with versioned packages means you can release fast and often. Deploy what's ready, when it's ready.

5. Incremental Deployments Deploy individual packages, not the entire org. A fix to the revenue module doesn't require redeploying your entire lead management system. This granularity reduces risk and deployment time from hours to minutes.

Rationale

Why flxbl over point-and-click tools:

The Enforced Process Advantage Gearset, Copado, and similar tools are powerful but they're ultimately just tools. They'll happily deploy your mess faster. flxbl is opinionated - it enforces modularity or it simply won't work. This constraint is its strength.

Modularity as a Requirement You can't half-implement flxbl. Your code must be properly modularized into packages with clear dependencies. This forced structure pays dividends:

• Parallel development without conflicts

• Independent testing and deployment

• Clear ownership boundaries

• Genuine reusability

Developer-First Approach While point-and-click tools add UI layers, flxbl integrates into developer workflows:

• Git is the source of truth

• CI/CD pipelines as code

• Version control for everything

The Journey to Modularity

For Existing Orgs: Moving to modularity is a journey, not a sprint. We advocate incremental modularity:

1. Start with new features as packages

2. Extract stable, low-change components first

3. Gradually refactor high-value areas

4. Accept that some legacy code may never be packaged

Trying to modularize everything at once is a recipe for failure. Pick your battles.

For New Implementations: Start modular from day one. It's essential to:

• Keep packages small and focused

• Follow the modularity guidelines strictly

• Resist the temptation to create "misc" or "utils" packages

• Design clear interfaces between packages

The Real Cost-Benefit:

Benefits:

• Deployments go from hours to minutes

• No more deployment-day surprises

• Developers can work independently

• Rollbacks are package-specific, not org-wide

• True continuous delivery becomes possible

Costs:

• High initial learning curve for modularity

• Requires strong architectural discipline

• Package dependency management adds complexity

• Refactoring existing orgs is a significant investment

Our Verdict: For teams committed to continuous delivery and willing to invest in proper architecture, flxbl is transformative. For teams wanting a quick fix to deployment problems without changing how they build, look elsewhere.

Alternatives

Tool/Approach	When It Works	When It Doesn't	Our Take
Gearset	Want UI-based deployments, comparison tools, rollback capabilities	Need enforced modularity, want git-native workflows	Great tool but doesn't enforce good architecture. Can deploy bad code faster
Copado	Enterprise with budget, want full DevOps suite, compliance requirements	Small teams, limited budget, developer-first culture	Comprehensive but expensive. Can become a crutch that hides architectural problems
Salesforce CLI + Scripts	Small team, simple requirements, high technical capability	Complex dependencies, multiple developers, need orchestration	Works until it doesn't. Scripts become unmaintainable as complexity grows
SFDX + GitHub Actions	Want free, simple CI/CD, comfortable with YAML	Need package management, complex orchestration, multi-org deployments	Good starting point but lacks advanced features. Consider migrating to flxbl as you grow
Salto	Want declarative change tracking, business user friendly	Need package-based architecture, complex dependencies	Focuses on different problem - configuration management vs architectural modularity
Manual Change Sets	Very simple requirements, infrequent deployments	Everything else	Please don't. It's 2024

Implementation Guidance

Critical Success Factors:

1. Understand Modularity First Before touching flxbl, understand modular architecture. Read our modularity guidelines and anti-patterns documentation. flxbl is just a tool - modularity is the discipline.

2. Start Small with New Features Don't try to modularize your entire org at once. Start with:

   • New features as independent packages

   • Extracted utility functions

   • Stable, low-change components Each success builds confidence and knowledge.

3. Package Boundaries Are Sacred Once you define a package boundary, defend it fiercely. No "temporary" cross-package dependencies. No "we'll fix it later" violations. The moment you compromise, you're back to monolithic chaos.

4. Follow the Branching Model Stick to the flxbl-recommended branching strategy (documented in their guides). Don't try to adapt it to your old branching model - you'll lose the benefits.

5. Incremental Migration Strategy For existing orgs:

   • Phase 1: New features in packages

   • Phase 2: Extract stable utilities

   • Phase 3: Modularize high-value domains

   • Phase 4: Tackle legacy code (if worth it)

   Many orgs successfully run hybrid - some code packaged, some not. That's fine.

6. Package Design Principles

   • Small and Focused: One package, one purpose

   • Clear Interfaces: Public APIs, everything else private

   • Minimal Dependencies: Fewer dependencies = easier deployment

   • Version Everything: Semantic versioning from day one

7. Common Pitfalls:

   • Creating "common" or "utils" packages that become dumping grounds

   • Circular dependencies between packages

   • Too many small packages (maintenance overhead)

   • Too few large packages (loses modularity benefits)

   • Ignoring the CI/CD pipeline until "later"

8. Investment Required:

   • 2-3 months to properly modularize a medium-complexity org

   • Ongoing architectural governance

   • Team training on package-based development

   • CI/CD pipeline setup and maintenance

When Not to Use flxbl:

• Simple orgs with infrequent changes

• Teams without architectural discipline

• Organizations unwilling to invest in modularity

• Quick prototypes or POCs

The key message: flxbl enables continuous delivery, but only if you commit to modular architecture. Half-measures will frustrate everyone and deliver no value.