Why Git Must Be the Source of Truth in Modern Salesforce DevOps
Daniel RosenbergCo-Founder
Blog
Why Git Must Be the Source of Truth in Modern Salesforce DevOps
If you’re still treating your Salesforce org as the source of truth and trying to “sync” it with Git, you’re not doing DevOps, you’re doing damage control.
Modern DevOps teams understand that version control isn’t just a backup system; it’s the operating system of the release process. But Salesforce, with its metadata complexity, administrative changes, and GUI-first workflows, has long resisted a clean Git integration, until now.
This post unpacks why Git must be your single source of truth in Salesforce DevOps and why OrgFlow’s “True Git-based” model finally makes that not only possible but practical for both developers and admins.
The Problem: Clicks vs Code Chaos
Salesforce is inherently collaborative. Admins tweak workflows and Flows. Developers write Apex code and deploy it via the CLI. But without a unified source of truth, collaboration becomes collision.
- Admins overwrite developer changes by deploying directly from a sandbox.
- Developers introduce bugs by pushing outdated metadata without knowing what’s live.
- Auditors get vague answers about who changed what and when.
This chaos exists because the Salesforce org is treated as the system’s “real” state. Git, if used at all, becomes a passive mirror, always out of date, often ignored.
That’s backwards.
Why Git Should Be the Source of Truth
Version control systems like Git were built to manage change, track history, and enforce collaboration at scale. Here’s why Git must be the foundation of your Salesforce release process:
1. Auditability Built In
Git gives you full traceability. Who changed what? When? Why? With a commit log, you’re always audit-ready, critical for regulated industries and enterprise compliance.
2. Rollback Without Regret
When Git is your source of truth, every change is reversible. Need to revert a Flow or Permission Set change? Just revert the commit, no need to fish for backups or manually recreate metadata.
3. Collaborative Without Collisions
Git supports branching, diffing, and merging, allowing teams to collaborate safely. Developers can build features in isolation, while admins contribute their changes through structured processes rather than ad-hoc deployments.
4. Automated From End to End
With Git as the driver, you can plug into any modern CI/CD pipeline. GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, GitLab CI, your Salesforce deployments become testable, repeatable, and scriptable.
5. Freedom to Scale
Treating Git as the system of record allows your teams to grow. New teammates can onboard faster. Your process no longer relies on tribal knowledge or on naming conventions in sandbox names.
The Syncing Myth: Why “Bi-Directional” Models Fail
Many tools promise Git integration but default to “sync” models. You pull metadata from a sandbox into Git, make a change, and push it back. It feels Git-adjacent, but it’s a dangerous illusion.
Here’s why syncing fails:
- Syncing isn’t version control; you’re copying files around, not managing history.
- You’re still trusting the org to allow any manual change to go live without oversight.
- Merge conflicts skyrocket without structure; you’re constantly battling XML.
True Git-based DevOps flips the model. Git is authoritative. Your Salesforce environments are just deployment targets. That’s the OrgFlow model.
Enter OrgFlow: True Git-Based Salesforce DevOps
OrgFlow doesn’t “sync” with Salesforce. It enforces Git as the source of truth. That single architectural decision eliminates years of DevOps pain in one stroke.
Here’s how it works:
Git as the Only Source of Truth
All changes, whether made by an admin or a developer, must pass through Git. No exceptions. This ensures version control is always up to date and accurate.
Visual Admin Change Capture
OrgFlow enables non-developers (such as admins) to commit changes to Git without using the command line. No need to teach GitHub, just guide them through a visual commit flow.
Intelligent Metadata Diffing
Instead of manual file comparisons, OrgFlow detects differences between orgs and Git repositories, showing only the relevant metadata and eliminating merge conflicts before they occur.
CI/CD Automation (Without Scripting)
OrgFlow integrates with GitHub Actions and other CI/CD tools out of the box. You can automate tests, deployments, and sandbox refreshes without brittle scripts or custom shell hacks.
Native Git Workflow for Developers
Developers can use git pull, git merge, and git push exactly as they would in any other repo. There’s no special tool or syntax to learn Git; it just works.
Common Objections (and Why They Don’t Hold Up)
“Our Admins Don’t Know Git”
They don’t need to. OrgFlow lets admins commit changes through a visual UI, with built-in guardrails. They can contribute safely without touching a terminal.
“We Already Use Git Sort Of”
If your Git repo is only updated after a deployment or used as a backup, it’s not your source of truth. OrgFlow makes Git operational, not ornamental.
“This Seems Like a Big Change”
True, but so is your technical debt, broken releases, and post-deployment fire drills. Git-based DevOps brings structure, visibility, and peace of mind.
Technical Use Case: Resolving Salesforce Merge Conflicts at Scale
Let’s say two team members edit the same Profile, one in a sandbox and the other in a Git branch. Without a Git-native system, the second deployment will overwrite the first silently.
With OrgFlow:
- The changes in the Git branch are retained
- The changes from the sandbox are automatically committed to Git and merged with the changes already in the Git branch
- The changes are not lost, and there’s no merge conflict; instead, the changes from both sides are merged into the profile
No more manual Markup Language (XML) merging, clobber, or conflicts. No more “who broke it?” Slack threads.
Bonus: What This Enables Long-Term
When Git is your source of truth, you unlock capabilities that are otherwise impossible:
Org-To-Org Promotion
Promote changes from lower environments without re-testing everything.
Automatic back-promote
Regularly merge changes from the production Salesforce org back into the developer or QA sandboxes.
Change Tracking Over Time
Analyze historical complexity, unused metadata, and dead Apex classes.
Proper Git Branching Strategies
Implement GitFlow or GitHub Flow cleanly across Salesforce teams.
Automated Rollback
Revert to a previous Git commit (using OrgFlow’s snapshots and rollback features) and redeploy it; it just works.
Git Isn’t Optional. It’s Inevitable.
If you’re building modern software on Salesforce, Git cannot be an afterthought. It must be the foundation.
OrgFlow doesn’t bolt Git onto Salesforce; it reimagines DevOps around Git from the ground up. That’s why enterprise teams around the world are switching to an accurate Git-based model and why your team should too.
Ready to Modernize Your Salesforce Pipeline?
Book a demo to see how OrgFlow turns Git into your team’s most powerful DevOps ally.