Custom Metadata Types vs Custom Objects

Developers should learn Custom Metadata Types when building scalable Salesforce applications that require configuration data to be managed as metadata, such as for feature toggles, integration endpoints, or validation rules meets developers should learn and use custom objects when designing complex systems that require data abstraction, such as in business applications, game development, or simulation software, to represent entities like users, products, or game characters. Here's our take.

Custom Metadata Types

Nice Pick

Developers should learn Custom Metadata Types when building scalable Salesforce applications that require configuration data to be managed as metadata, such as for feature toggles, integration endpoints, or validation rules

Pros

• They are essential for scenarios where configuration needs to be deployed alongside code, as they support packaging and versioning, unlike custom settings which are data and not deployable
• Related to: salesforce-platform, apex

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Custom Objects

Developers should learn and use Custom Objects when designing complex systems that require data abstraction, such as in business applications, game development, or simulation software, to represent entities like users, products, or game characters

Pros

• They are essential for implementing object-oriented principles like encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism, which improve code reusability and scalability
• Related to: object-oriented-programming, classes

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Custom Metadata Types is a platform while Custom Objects is a concept. We picked Custom Metadata Types based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Custom Metadata Types wins

Based on overall popularity. Custom Metadata Types is more widely used, but Custom Objects excels in its own space.