Metadata API Developer Guide

Introduction to Metadata API
Understanding Metadata API
Quick Start: Metadata API
Build Client Applications for Metadata API
Prerequisites
Step 1: Generate or Obtain the Web Service WSDLs for Your Organization
Step 2: Import the WSDL Files Into Your Development Platform
Step 3: Walk Through the Java Sample Code
Using Metadata API
Metadata API Context MCP Tool (Beta)
Reference
Appendices
PDF

Note: This release is in preview. Features described here don’t become generally available until the latest general availability date that Salesforce announces for this release. Before then, and where features are noted as beta, pilot, or developer preview, we can’t guarantee general availability within any particular time frame or at all. Make your purchase decisions only on the basis of generally available products and features.

Build Client Applications for Metadata API

Use Metadata API to retrieve, deploy, create, update, or delete customizations for your org. The most common use is to migrate changes from a sandbox or testing org to your production environment. Metadata API is intended for managing customizations and for building tools that can manage the metadata model, not the data itself.

Salesforce CLI automates the underlying calls of Metadata API. However, you can use these calls directly with your own client application. This guide gives you all the information you require to start writing applications that directly use Metadata API to manage customizations for your organization. It shows you how to get started with File-Based Development. For an example of CRUD-Based Development, see Java Sample for CRUD-Based Development with Synchronous Calls.