LWC Local Development - Feedback Requested

[AnanyaJha]

Hi all! As we gear up for the new year, we'd like to hear from you all on any feedback for the Local Development Server. The Local Development Server is a Salesforce CLI plug-in that configures and runs a Lightning Web Components-enabled server on your computer. You can develop Lightning web components and see live changes without publishing the components to an org.

We're aware of the updates that need to be made to the Local Dev Server to stay in line with latest features released by the platform - please upvote this issue if you're eagerly awaiting those changes! If you're looking for new features to be added to this product to help with usability, please leave a comment below.

Thank you all for the patience and we're actively looking to hear from you all about this product - all👂

[zerkz]

I've used the dev server in the past and it is a productivity multiplier if you are not restricted by any of the limitations (unless the component is super crazy, it's fairly stable!). Additionally, there's a benefit of familiarity for developers coming from React/VueJS/modern Javascript frameworks which often have hot-reloading tools.

The developer feedback cycle is extremely important for productivity. Personally, it helps me stay focused and on task if I'm not having to wait for my changes to be deployed, and all the edge caching propagation that seems to come with it on the Salesforce platform. This is my vote for doing so.

Initial suggestions --

• open source the dev server to allow for easier debugging/suggestions/contributions from the community.
• upgrade all dependencies to the latest compatible with the current node LTS.
• a document that the community can contribute to for specific limitations/gotchas with the dev server. We know there's some limitations documented, but it might be helpful to have "wontfix/cantfix" limitations documented somewhere.

Thanks for taking the time to solicit feedback!

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[nstuyvesant]

Coming from using SvelteKit with built-in vite, my view may be tainted as it's such a great development experience.

With the LWC Local Development Server, I've been stung in these areas:

1. CSS custom properties - can't use them with any components even though the docs say styling hooks are the way to go. One of the other open issues has a bunch of people commenting on this but it keeps getting demoted to p3 because time goes by with no resolution.
2. Can't use LightningModal - "Couldn't find the compiled component" error and HTTP 500s for http://localhost:3333/webruntime/component/latest/dev/en-US/lightning/modal, modalFooter and modalBody.
3. Can't use self-closing HTML tags - not sure why.
4. Many utility icons listed on Salesforce's site are not part of the LWC Local Development Server.
5. Note sure why but the Local Development Server says it's using API version 49. My project is API version 56. Why doesn't the Local Development Server read my API version from sfdx-project.json?
6. Some components just won't work on Local Development Server and the errors are not helpful to determine the cause. I just install them into a scratch org and they work.

In general, there's a lot of promise to Local Development Server as long as the quality issues are addressed. Until then, it seems I will have to go the more time-consuming route of installing into an org and testing there.

[lukethacoder]

Proper CSS Variables Support has been a blocker from using this tool for the past 3 years, sadly.

Are there any open source alternatives? or is this not possible given how the lwc-dev-server uses super secret hidden closed source code that Salesforce won't share? Surely someone from the recent layoffs has a copy of the closed source code 😉

Would love to see majority of the other bugs fixed too, especially around the platform changes that seemed to have moved forward whilst leaving this dev server in the dirt.

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[AllanOricil]

@AnanyaJha
Really good product. If u fix those css errors and enable the server to render components that use assets from other packages, then I would try to use it again.

But I also think that this plugin could be enhanced to enable developers to ship entire lwc apps instead of just simple components.

We need something like Nuxt offers. A framework for building lwc apps. In the future, I imagine developers writting entire lwc apps locally, and then shipping them as experience cloud sites, instead of interacting with that horrible experience builder.

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[jsmithdev]

@AnanyaJha
I use this every day. Saves so much time and allows me to develop much more naturally. I know others who do as well but I'm evangelizing it at my org because, once it's up and running, it's a game changer.

If this is picked back up, I believe a good starting issue is:
#149

That one causes us not to use the new directives (lwc:if, etc) which stifles adoption, loss of code quality benefits, etc.

If this is not going to be picked up for some reason, please open source it. Salesforce development hasn't been aligned with web development with tools like this for so long, I think the newer paradigm shift is taking some longer than others -- but I've seen that once they "get it", they love it, so I believe this is worth keeping around regardless of current numbers, etc.

Thanks for your time and the great product that really saves so much precious time 🎉

[madsenemark]

Do you have any plans to open-source this? I see no reason not to open up for this since many competent developers are eager to help improve this product.

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[alanjaouen]

I'm using this tool a lot, but the lack of update on lwc feature (directive, css, etc) is blocker

Would be great to open source it if there is no bandwitch on your side to maintains this

[kovdmm]

We cannot use @AuraEnabled methods anymore with localdevserver and scratch orgs. Please see the discussions: #155

[todthomson]

It would be amazing if you could fix this issue: #76

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[lukethacoder]

Sharing because it is such a time saver when building for on-platform.

After waiting about 4 years (and then seeing we won't be getting anything until 2025) I decided to build something myself over a weekend or two.

• https://lwc.garden/
• https://github.com/lukethacoder/lwc-garden
• https://stackblitz.com/edit/lwc-garden-minimal-config?file=garden.config.js

Full support for CSS Variables and anything else you could want from the modern web.

• 🚀 Local First Development (feat. Speedy HMR)
• 🧪 Mock Anything (Apex, OmniScript, 3rd Party Packages and on-platform imports)
• 🥧 <slot/> Placeholders
• 💅 SLDS Support OOTB (and lightning-base-components)
• ✏️ API Editor via Storybook-like argTypes
• 🎨 Custom Theming API
• ⚙️ Config as much or as little as your like
• 🙌 And best of all, open sourced

[zerkz]

@lukethacoder thanks! I will definitely be giving this a shot. Admittedly, it's a little sad that it came to you, a lone developer, building this out. More so proves where Salesforce's resource prioritization lies, and it's not helping LWC developers.

[adrocodes]

@lukethacoder absolute legend! Thank you for spending the time on this 🙌