The Salesforce IDE Options
In the last episode we set up VS Code. Today I want to show you my personal favourite, which is IntelliJ paired with the Illuminated Cloud 2 plugin.
Quick reality check first: you do not need two IDEs. If VS Code is working for you, skip to episode 7 and start writing code. This one is here because IC2 is genuinely excellent and a lot of people never hear about it.
When I started on this platform your only real options were the Force.com IDE in Eclipse and the Developer Console, if you’re generous enough to count that. Today you’ve got:
1. IntelliJ + Illuminated Cloud 2 – around $90/year
2. VS Code + Salesforce Extension Pack – free
3. The Welkin Suite – around $150/year
4. Eclipse (retired Force.com IDE) – free
5. Developer Console – free
I’ve struck through the last two because you really shouldn’t use either, even though they technically exist.
I’ve tried all of them, and my preference is IntelliJ with IC2. Between the raw power of IntelliJ and the work Scott Wells has put into Illuminated Cloud 2 to wire that power into Salesforce development, it’s borderline impossible to top. It’s the most point-and-click of the lot and it somehow doesn’t lose any capability for it.
The Setup
Here’s the short version:
1. Install the most recent JDK. Illuminated Cloud needs it.
2. Install IntelliJ Community Edition (or Ultimate if you want the paid extras).
3. Open IntelliJ and go to File > Settings > Plugins, click the Marketplace tab, and search for Illuminated Cloud.
4. Install Illuminated Cloud 2. Do not install the original “Illuminated Cloud” option, it’s outdated.
5. Once it finishes and IntelliJ restarts, go to File > New > Project > Illuminated Cloud.
6. Click the New Connection button in the top right (the pencil icon), then Create Connection in the modal that appears.
7. Fill in your org details and authenticate.
Once you’re connected, IC2 pulls down your org’s metadata and builds a local index. That index is what powers the really good autocomplete, which knows about your custom objects and fields, not just standard Apex.
Why I Like It
A few things that keep me here:
Ctrl+B jumps to any definition instantly. Cursor on a class name, one keystroke, you’re in it.
Ctrl+Shift+F searches your whole codebase. Finding every usage of a class before you change it stops being a chore.
The autocomplete knows your org. Custom fields, custom objects, your own classes, all of it.
Test coverage displays next to the class it covers, with line by line detail.
Code style settings you can export and hand to your whole team so everybody’s Apex comes out looking identical.
Is $90 a year worth it? For me, easily. But VS Code is free and maintained by Salesforce, so there’s no wrong answer here. Try both, keep whichever one you stop thinking about.
Want The Long Version?
This is the condensed version for the Master Class. I’ve written a much more detailed walkthrough of this exact setup, with every step and screenshots:
Salesforce Development: How to Setup Illuminated Cloud 2 with the IntelliJ IDE
If you got stuck anywhere above, that’s the one to read.
What’s Next
That’s the toolchain done. You’ve got an org, you’ve got an IDE, and you know what Apex is.
Enough setup. In the next episode we finally write some code and create our first Apex class.
See you next time!
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Salesforce Development Books I Recommend
Advanced Apex Programming
Salesforce Lightning Platform Enterprise Architecture
Mastering Salesforce DevOps
Good Non-SF Specific Development Books:
Clean Code
Clean Architecture
