What it is
The Salesforce platform SDK is the client library a Multi-Framework React app uses to reach its org. Published as @salesforce/platform-sdk, it queries and mutates records over GraphQL, invokes Apex, and reads user context through the UI APIs — with no authentication or token management required, because the app is running inside the org.
Why it matters
This is what removes the usual cost of a decoupled frontend. Building outside the platform means writing an auth layer, storing credentials, and rebuilding a permission model that already existed. The SDK means none of that gets written, and data access stays governed by Salesforce.
Key components
- @salesforce/platform-sdk package
- GraphQL query and mutate for records
- Apex invocation
- UI APIs for user context
- No token management
How it connects
It is the data layer of a UI Bundle. Apex is still the right place for logic that already exists; the SDK calls into it rather than duplicating it in the frontend.
Good to know
It replaced the beta package @salesforce/sdk-data — if you are following an older tutorial, the import will be wrong.
Related terms
Apex
Salesforce's proprietary programming language for custom business logic — the backend code behind your automations, integrations, and agent actions.
GraphQL
A query language for APIs that lets a client ask for exactly the fields it needs in one request — the data access layer for Salesforce Multi-Framework apps.
Salesforce Multi-Framework
A framework-agnostic Salesforce runtime that lets a standard React app run natively on the platform, with Salesforce authentication, security and governance applied automatically.
UI Bundle
The Salesforce metadata type that packages a Multi-Framework app for deployment, declaring in .uibundle-meta.xml which surface it targets.
Salesforce Platform SDK in practice
Articles from the Funnelists Team that put this term to work.
How Salesforce LWC Limits React Development for Modern Frontends
Salesforce solution architects often hit walls trying to bring React into LWC. This post explains the historical limits, the new native path with Multi-Framework, and clear criteria for choosing between the two.
Salesforce Platform SDK Guide for Platform Architects Building React Apps
Platform architects facing React integration challenges on Salesforce can use the Platform SDK and Multi-Framework for native security and GraphQL access without custom OAuth layers.
How Do SF Platform Architects Implement Salesforce Micro Frontends Without Framework Lock-In?
Salesforce UI Embedding is now generally available, replacing the developer-preview shell. Here is how Platform Architects place independently deployed apps in Lightning pages, the two patterns to choose between, and how to avoid lock-in.
How Do SF Platform Architects Build Headless Salesforce Experiences with Multiple Frameworks?
Headless Salesforce lets a React front end run on the platform while Salesforce keeps enforcing identity, sharing, and business logic. Here is the four-layer architecture, what Multi-Framework and Headless 360 add, and when the approach fits.
