TutorialKart.comSalesforce Lightning Experience, often called Lightning or LEX, is Salesforce’s modern desktop user interface for working with sales, service, reports, dashboards, apps, and records. It replaced the older Salesforce Classic interface for many day-to-day tasks and is built around a faster, component-based user experience. Lightning combines Lightning Designing System (LDS), Lightning App Builder, and Lightning Components to create modern enterprise applications on Salesforce.com.
Lightning Experience is not a separate CRM product. It is a Salesforce user experience and platform approach that helps admins, users, and developers work with Salesforce in a more visual and component-based way. It is also related to the mobile-first direction that started with the Salesforce1 Mobile App, but Lightning Experience mainly refers to the browser-based desktop interface.
What is Salesforce Lightning Experience?
Salesforce Lightning Experience is the modern Salesforce interface used to access records, apps, navigation items, dashboards, reports, activities, and collaboration features. It presents Salesforce data through pages made of reusable components, so admins can tailor the layout with tools such as Lightning App Builder without rebuilding the whole application from the beginning.
Lightning Experience (or LEX for short) brings with it a client-side architecture, which differs from the older server-side rendering model used in Salesforce Classic and Visualforce. For backward compatibility, Visualforce pages can still be used within Lightning Experience, but older Visualforce-based customizations may not always provide the same user experience as pages built with Lightning components.
Salesforce Lightning, Lightning Platform, and Lightning Experience explained
The word Lightning is used in several Salesforce contexts, so it is useful to separate the terms clearly.
| Salesforce term | Meaning | Who commonly uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Salesforce Lightning Experience | The modern Salesforce desktop user interface used instead of Salesforce Classic. | Sales users, service users, admins, and managers. |
| Lightning Platform | The Salesforce platform tools and services used to build apps, automations, pages, and experiences. | Admins, developers, architects, and platform teams. |
| Lightning Components | Reusable building blocks used to create Lightning pages and applications. | Developers and advanced admins. |
| Lightning Design System | The Salesforce design system that provides styles, patterns, and UI guidelines for Salesforce-like interfaces. | Developers, designers, and UI teams. |
For the first time, Salesforce developers could use the same technology and design approach Salesforce uses to build many Lightning-based applications. The styling framework used by Lightning is known as the Lightning Design System, and the component model is used to create reusable user interface parts for pages and apps.
Salesforce Lightning Experience features for users and admins
Salesforce Lightning Experience gives sales and service teams a cleaner way to work with records, activities, dashboards, and related information. Instead of moving through many separate pages, users can view key record details, activity history, related lists, and productivity tools in a more organized layout. Admins can also configure Lightning pages to fit how a team works.
- Lightning Salesforce provides a modern browser-based user interface for Salesforce records, apps, reports, and dashboards.
- It supports component-based page layouts that can be configured with Lightning App Builder.
- Users can work with activity timelines, Kanban views, dashboards, list views, and record highlights in a more visual layout.
- Developers can build custom Lightning components for business-specific functionality.
- Lightning Experience is designed to align desktop usage more closely with the Salesforce mobile experience.
Sales representatives can use mobiles to enter customer details, log tasks and notes after client meetings, run reports and dashboards, and review customer information. Some of the same design ideas from mobile Salesforce experiences are also reflected in the desktop browser experience. Salesforce also provides mobile solutions through Salesforce1 and later Salesforce mobile app experiences.
Salesforce Classic vs Salesforce Lightning Experience
Before Salesforce Lightning Experience, many organizations used the Salesforce Classic user interface. Salesforce Classic is the older desktop interface, while Lightning Experience is the newer interface with a different navigation style, page structure, and component model. Some organizations still keep Classic available for certain users or legacy customizations, but most new Salesforce features are designed with Lightning Experience in mind.
| Area | Salesforce Classic | Salesforce Lightning Experience |
|---|---|---|
| User interface | Older page-based interface. | Modern component-based interface. |
| Page customization | Mostly page layouts, Visualforce, and classic customizations. | Lightning pages, Lightning App Builder, dynamic page options, and components. |
| Developer approach | Visualforce and older customization patterns are common. | Lightning Web Components, Aura components, and Lightning platform tools are common. |
| User experience | Familiar for long-time Salesforce users but less modern. | More visual, flexible, and aligned with newer Salesforce capabilities. |
| Migration impact | Existing Classic customizations may continue to work in Classic. | Some Classic features, buttons, links, or Visualforce pages may need review before migration. |
What do we call Salesforce Lightning Experience?
Salesforce Lightning Experience is commonly referred to as Lightning or LEX. When working with Lightning Salesforce, you may also hear about Lightning Login, Lightning App Builder, Lightning for Outlook, Salesforce Lightning Components, Lightning Sync, Lightning Web Components, and other related features. Some features are available only in Lightning Experience, while some may work in both Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic depending on the Salesforce edition, setup, and feature support.
How to get Lightning Experience in Salesforce
In many Salesforce orgs, Lightning Experience is already available. An administrator can enable or manage Lightning Experience from Salesforce Setup. The exact setup path can vary based on the org and Salesforce release, but admins generally review Lightning Experience readiness, user permissions, app settings, and feature compatibility before rolling it out to users.
- Check whether Lightning Experience is already enabled in the Salesforce org.
- Review business-critical Classic customizations such as JavaScript buttons, Visualforce pages, custom links, and managed package features.
- Assign the required permissions to users who should access Lightning Experience.
- Test key sales, service, reporting, and integration flows in Lightning before a wider rollout.
- Train users on navigation, record pages, list views, dashboards, and productivity features in Lightning.
Why organizations migrate from Salesforce Classic to Lightning
Organizations usually migrate from Salesforce Classic to Lightning Experience to use newer Salesforce features, configurable Lightning pages, improved app navigation, and component-based customization. Migration should still be planned carefully because some existing customizations may need changes. For example, JavaScript buttons created for Classic, older Visualforce pages, or third-party package features may require testing or replacement before users move fully to Lightning.
Lightning App Builder, Lightning Components, and SLDS in Salesforce
Salesforce Lightning Experience is supported by several important tools and frameworks. Admins typically work with Lightning App Builder to arrange components on record pages, app pages, and home pages. Developers use Lightning Web Components or Aura components to create custom functionality. Designers and developers use Salesforce Lightning Design System to keep interfaces consistent with Salesforce design patterns.
| Lightning tool or framework | Purpose in Salesforce Lightning |
|---|---|
| Lightning App Builder | Used by admins to create and customize Lightning pages with standard and custom components. |
| Lightning Components | Reusable UI components used to build pages and apps. |
| Lightning Web Components | Modern web standards-based component model for Salesforce development. |
| Lightning Design System | Provides Salesforce UI design guidelines, styles, and patterns. |
| Visualforce in Lightning | Allows many existing Visualforce pages to be used, though they should be reviewed for usability and compatibility. |
Salesforce Lightning migration checklist for Classic orgs
Before switching users from Salesforce Classic to Lightning Experience, review both technical and user-facing items. A small pilot group is often safer than moving every user at once.
- Review Classic customizations: Check JavaScript buttons, custom links, Visualforce pages, home page components, and URL hacks.
- Test record pages: Confirm that important fields, related lists, actions, and quick actions are available in Lightning pages.
- Check managed packages: Validate that installed AppExchange packages support Lightning Experience.
- Review reports and dashboards: Test dashboards, charts, filters, and report access in Lightning.
- Confirm user permissions: Make sure the right profiles and permission sets allow Lightning access.
- Train users: Explain navigation, favorites, app launcher, list views, record pages, and activity timeline.
Salesforce Lightning Experience editorial QA checklist
- Confirm that the article clearly separates Salesforce Lightning Experience, Lightning Platform, Lightning Components, and Lightning Design System.
- Check that Salesforce Classic vs Lightning differences are explained without suggesting that every Classic customization automatically works in Lightning.
- Verify that migration guidance includes testing for JavaScript buttons, Visualforce pages, managed packages, permissions, and user training.
- Make sure Lightning is described as a Salesforce user experience and platform approach, not as a separate CRM product.
- Confirm that references to Salesforce1 are framed as historical/mobile context and not as the current name for all Salesforce mobile experiences.
Official Salesforce Lightning references
For current product behavior, setup steps, and developer guidance, use official Salesforce documentation along with hands-on testing in a Salesforce org. Salesforce features can vary by edition, release, permissions, and enabled products.
- Salesforce Lightning product overview
- Salesforce Help: Lightning Experience guidance
- Salesforce Developer Guide: Lightning components
FAQs on Salesforce Lightning Experience
What is Salesforce Lightning?
Salesforce Lightning is the modern Salesforce experience and set of platform tools used to build and use Salesforce apps. In everyday usage, people often use Salesforce Lightning to mean Lightning Experience, the modern Salesforce desktop interface that replaced Salesforce Classic for many users.
What is the difference between Salesforce and Salesforce Lightning?
Salesforce is the broader CRM platform and product ecosystem. Salesforce Lightning is the modern user experience and development approach within Salesforce. A company may use Salesforce Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, or other Salesforce products through Lightning Experience.
How do I get Lightning Experience in Salesforce?
An administrator can enable and manage Lightning Experience from Salesforce Setup if it is available for the org. Before enabling it broadly, review user permissions, Classic customizations, Visualforce pages, JavaScript buttons, managed packages, and important business processes.
Can Visualforce pages be used in Lightning Experience?
Many Visualforce pages can be used in Lightning Experience, but they should be tested carefully. A Visualforce page designed for Salesforce Classic may not look or behave like a native Lightning page, and some older customizations may need updates.
Is Salesforce Classic still the same as Lightning Experience?
No. Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience are different user interfaces for Salesforce. Classic is the older interface, while Lightning Experience uses a more modern navigation model, component-based pages, and newer Salesforce UI capabilities.