Deploy Apex Components Faster by Running Relevant Tests in Salesforce

Introduction

Have you ever waited ages for Salesforce to run every test in your org just to deploy a small change? You’re not alone. In large orgs with extensive Apex code, running all tests can dramatically slow down deployments, interrupt developer flow, and delay releases.

What if there was a smarter way to run only the tests that matter for your specific change?

In this article, you’ll learn:

• What Run Relevant Tests is
• Why it makes deployments faster
• How to use it with Salesforce CLI, API, and annotations
• Best practices and real-world tips

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Table of Contents

• What Are Apex Test Levels in Salesforce?
• Why Run Only Relevant Tests Matters
• How Salesforce Determines Relevant Tests
• Using RunRelevantTests in Your Deployment
• Tips for Best Results
• FAQs
• Conclusion & Next Steps

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What Are Apex Test Levels in Salesforce?

Before we dive in, it helps to understand how Salesforce runs tests:

Salesforce has several test execution options that define which tests run during deployment:

• RunLocalTests – runs all local tests not from installed packages
• RunSpecifiedTests – runs only the tests you list
• RunAllTestsInOrg – runs all tests in the org
• NoTestRun – runs no tests (only in non-production)

These test levels are used by Metadata API and tools like Salesforce CLI when deploying Apex.

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Why Run Only Relevant Tests Matters

Traditionally, even if you changed only one line in a class, Salesforce might run thousands of tests — making deployments slow, especially in complex orgs.

The brand-new test level — RunRelevantTests — changes this by:

• Automatically running only the tests tied to the components you changed
• Reducing CI/CD wait times
• Improving developer productivity
• Maintaining code quality without unnecessary test execution

This feature was introduced in Salesforce Spring ’26 release as a way to optimize deployments.

💡 Analogy: It’s like scanning just the pages of a book that changed instead of rereading the entire book every time.

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How Salesforce Determines Relevant Tests

Salesforce uses advanced logic to decide which tests are relevant:

✔️ Any test class in the deployment package
✔️ Tests that reference or depend on changed components
✔️ Tests annotated to always run or match changed code

You can influence relevance with two annotations (API v66+):

• @IsTest(critical=true) — always runs
• @IsTest(testFor=’…’) — runs when those specific classes or triggers change

Example:

@IsTest(testFor='ApexClass:OrderService, ApexTrigger:AccountTrigger')
public class OrderServiceTest {
    // test logic here
}

This tells Salesforce exactly which components this test is responsible for.

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How to Use RunRelevantTests

Here are the common ways to use this test level:

1. Salesforce CLI

sf project deploy start --test-level RunRelevantTests

• Runs only relevant tests
• Faster feedback in your pipelines

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2. REST API Deploy

In your REST deploy request:

{
  "deployOptions": {
    "testLevel": "RunRelevantTests"
  }
}

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3. Metadata API Deploy

Set testLevel=RunRelevantTests when constructing your deploy options in code.

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Best Practices for Relevant Test Success

To make the most of this feature:

✔️ Annotate test classes with @IsTest(testFor=…) where possible
✔️ Mark always-run tests with critical=true
✔️ Keep tests focused on specific components
✔️ Use RunRelevantTests for small, frequent deployments
✔️ Reserve full test suites for major releases

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FAQs

Q1: Do all tests still run if I use RunRelevantTests?
No — only tests tied to the changed components plus critical tests run with this level.

Q2: Can I use RunRelevantTests in production?
Yes — it’s supported for production deployments in Spring ’26 and later.

Q3: What happens if no relevant tests are found?
Salesforce still enforces coverage rules — tests that cover deployed code must run or deployment will fail.

Q4: Do I still need 75% code coverage?
Yes — Salesforce requires minimum coverage for deployed Apex, even if running only relevant tests.

Q5: Can I mix this with RunSpecifiedTests?
These options are separate; RunRelevantTests is the smarter, automated choice.

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Conclusion

Running only relevant tests is a huge productivity boost for Salesforce developers. It:

• Saves time
• Reduces CI/CD bottlenecks
• Improves developer experience
• Keeps deployments fast but safe

If you’re working with large orgs or running frequent deployments, this should be part of your standard workflow today.