Salesforce Functions Replacement

Salesforce Functions Replacement

Activate when migrating off Salesforce Functions (end-of-life January 2025). Every Functions workload needs a new home, and the right home depends on the workload. Do not assume "one replacement" — Heroku suits long-running; Apex suits simple compute; external containers suit CPU-heavy work. Agentforce Actions are a good fit for LLM-adjacent logic.

Before Starting

• Inventory every Function. List runtime, invocation pattern, average compute time, data dependencies.
• Classify by driver. Why was Functions chosen? Apex-unfriendly library? CPU intensity? Language preference? Each reason maps to a different replacement.
• Set a migration deadline. Functions stopped accepting new deploys in late 2024; runtime support ends January 2025. Past EOL, any outage is terminal.

Core Concepts

Why Functions existed

Functions offered a managed Node.js / Java / Python runtime tightly integrated with Apex, invoked via Function.get('ns.name').invoke(payload). It filled the gap between Apex limits and external compute without needing to manage a separate platform.

Heroku as default replacement

Heroku is Salesforce-owned and integrates natively with Hyperforce. It offers Private Spaces, Shield, add-ons. For long-running or language-dependent workloads that Apex can't run, Heroku is the most natural migration target.

Container-on-Hyperforce patterns

Run containers (AKS, EKS, GKE) or Cloud Run with OAuth-authenticated callouts to Salesforce. Integrate via Named Credentials + Pub/Sub or Platform Events. More ops burden than Heroku; more flexibility.

Apex (where viable)

Simple compute that fits within Apex limits can move to Apex. CPU-bound Apex is painful (10s CPU limit on sync, 60s on async). Library-dependent work (PDF manipulation, heavy image processing) does not fit Apex.

Agentforce Actions

LLM / AI-adjacent Functions are a good fit for Agentforce Actions or Agentforce prompt templates. Natural migration for AI-shaped workloads.

Common Patterns

Pattern: PDF generation Function → Heroku service

Heroku Node dyno running the same PDF library. Apex calls via Named Credential + REST; Heroku returns the generated PDF. Private Space for PCI/PII workloads.

Pattern: Heavy compute batch → Heroku + Redis queue

Instead of an Apex-triggered Function, publish a Platform Event → Heroku worker processes job → writes result back via REST. Decouples Apex from long compute.

Pattern: LLM enrichment → Agentforce Action

Instead of a Function calling OpenAI, define an Agentforce prompt template + Action. Native trust layer, no Heroku dyno to manage.

Pattern: Simple enrichment → Apex Queueable

If the Function was < 5s of compute and used only standard libraries, rewrite as Queueable Apex and call via System.enqueueJob.

Decision Guidance

Recommended Workflow

1. Inventory every Function: runtime, calls/day, avg latency, data returned.
2. Classify each Function by driver (language, CPU, library, AI).
3. Assign replacement per Function per decision guidance.
4. Design integration for each: Named Credential + REST, Platform Events, Pub/Sub, Agentforce Action.
5. Build one pilot replacement end-to-end; measure latency and cost.
6. Cut over Function-by-Function; never big-bang.
7. Decommission Functions as each workload moves; track until zero invocations.

Review Checklist

• Function inventory captured with drivers
• Replacement assigned per workload with rationale
• Named Credentials + OAuth external client apps configured
• Pilot measured against current Function perf
• Cost comparison documented
• Cutover runbook with rollback per workload
• Functions decommission tracker live

Salesforce-Specific Gotchas

1. Heroku Private Space + Shield is required for PCI/PII workloads. A standard dyno does not meet compliance for protected workloads.
2. Named Credentials and External Client Apps are the modern auth surface. Legacy Auth Providers are being deprecated; migrate to External Client Apps during Functions migration.
3. Pub/Sub API replaces CometD for high-volume eventing. If the Function was consuming Streaming API, the replacement should use Pub/Sub API.

Output Artifacts

Related Skills

• integration/integration-pattern-selection — integration mechanism choice
• integration/named-credentials-and-external-auth — auth to Heroku / external
• agentforce/agent-action-design — AI-adjacent migrations