AppLink Fundamentals I: AppLink Integration Patterns – Connecting Salesforce to Heroku Applications

Summary

AppLink Fundamentals I describes four integration patterns for connecting Salesforce orgs with Heroku applications, focusing on API access and Salesforce extension. Pattern 1 uses run-as-user authentication for automated or customer-facing applications, with the AppLink add-on, CLI plugin, optional SDK, named authorizations, and SOQL queries through the Data API; the SDK manages authentication, session management, and connection pooling for single- or multi-org access. Pattern 2 lets Salesforce users invoke published Heroku services through Flow, Apex, or Agentforce, using User Mode or elevated “user mode plus” permissions controlled by Permission Sets, an OpenAPI description, and a service-mesh buildpack that blocks external access. The post also positions batch processing and real-time eventing as extensions of these patterns, and describes Data Cloud querying and Data Action Targets for applications to receive Data Cloud events.

Takeaways

1. 1

   Pattern 1 uses run-as-user authorizations and supports Salesforce API access across multiple orgs, including SOQL queries through the Data API.

2. 2

   Pattern 2 publishes Heroku services for invocation from Flow, Apex, or Agentforce and uses User Mode or Permission Set-controlled user mode plus permissions.

3. 3

   Pattern 3 extends Salesforce processing with Heroku Workers, while Pattern 4 uses run-as-user authentication for Platform Events and Change Data Capture.