If you're an ISV trying to ship your first managed package on AppExchange, "What is Dev Hub?" is the first question that stops you cold. The Salesforce docs assume you already know. This guide explains what Dev Hub actually is, why it's the control plane for modern Salesforce development, how to enable it inside your Partner Business Org (PBO), the scratch org limits you'll hit, and the path from "I just enabled Dev Hub" to "my managed package is live on AppExchange."

Pro Tip

TL;DR: Dev Hub is the Salesforce platform feature you enable inside a Partner Business Org (PBO) or Developer Edition org to authorize scratch org creation, manage 2GP (Second-Generation) managed packages, register namespaces, and run the modern Salesforce DX development workflow. It's the control plane for source-driven Salesforce development. Enable it via Setup > Dev Hub > Enable. Each Dev Hub gets a daily scratch org allocation (typically 100 active scratch orgs and 100 scratch org creations per day for Partners). Dev Hub is the prerequisite for 2GP packaging, which Salesforce's Spring '26 ISVforce Guide recommends for every new app.

Dev Hub is the Salesforce platform feature you enable inside a Partner Business Org (PBO) or Developer Edition org to authorize scratch org creation, manage 2GP managed packages, register namespaces, and run the modern Salesforce DX development workflow. Think of it as the persistent control plane for source-driven Salesforce development.

Before Dev Hub existed (pre-2017), Salesforce development was org-based: you developed inside a packaging org, and the org itself was the source of truth for your code and metadata. Dev Hub flipped that model. Now your code lives in Git, and Dev Hub is the authority that issues ephemeral scratch orgs for development, tracks package versions, and authorizes the modern sf CLI workflow.

Pro Tip

Citation capsule: Per the Salesforce DX Developer Guide, Dev Hub is the foundation of Salesforce DX, the modern source-driven development model Salesforce introduced in 2017. It's required for 2GP managed packages and recommended for all new Salesforce app development.

Three clicks. Setup > Dev Hub > toggle 'Enable Dev Hub' to On. Detailed walkthrough:

• Log into your Partner Business Org as a System Administrator.

• Setup > Quick Find > type Dev Hub and select Dev Hub.

• Toggle 'Enable Dev Hub' to On. Confirm.

• Optionally enable 'Enable Unlocked Packages and Second-Generation Managed Packages' (recommended).

• Authorize the org from your local sf CLI: sf org login web -a devhub -r https://login.salesforce.com.

Pro Tip

Important: Once enabled, Dev Hub cannot be disabled. This is by design (it prevents accidentally orphaning your packages or scratch orgs), but it means you should enable Dev Hub in your PBO or a long-lived Developer Edition org, not in a trial org you'll lose access to.

Six core capabilities, all driven through the sf CLI.

Each Dev Hub has a daily scratch org allocation that governs how many you can create and keep active. The limits depend on your Salesforce edition and partner tier.

If you hit the limit, delete unused scratch orgs (sf org delete scratch -o <alias>) or wait 24 hours for the daily allocation to reset. Salesforce will sell additional scratch org capacity to large ISV partners on request.

2GP (Second-Generation Packaging) is source-driven, not org-based. The Dev Hub is the persistent authority that registers each 2GP package, tracks its versions and ancestry, authorizes scratch org provisioning for testing, and gates the release-promote workflow. Without Dev Hub, there's no place to anchor a 2GP package's identity.

The 2GP creation flow that runs through Dev Hub:

• Define package metadata in sfdx-project.json with the namespace.

• Run sf package create against your Dev Hub. This registers the package and returns a 0Ho... package ID.

• Develop in scratch orgs (created from Dev Hub).

• Build a beta version: sf package version create -p MyApp -k InstallKey -w 30 -c. Returns a 04t... Subscriber Package Version Id.

• Install the beta in a fresh scratch org and test.

• Promote beta to release: sf package version promote -p MyApp@1.0.0-1. Now it's installable in production orgs.

• Submit for AppExchange security review through the Partner Console.

Pro Tip

Companion read: Our 2026 Salesforce managed packages guide covers the full 1GP-vs-2GP comparison and the creation flow in detail.

Yes, enabling Dev Hub in an org you already have is free. Costs only depend on the underlying org type:

For ISVs, the PBO is the right Dev Hub. It comes free with Salesforce Partner Program membership (which is also free to join). See our Partner Business Org guide for the full setup walkthrough.

Dev Hub is the operational control plane for scratch orgs, packages, and versions. A Namespace Org is a Developer Edition org where you register your globally unique 1-15 character namespace prefix.

Typical ISV setup: one PBO with Dev Hub enabled, plus one Namespace Org per namespace, linked together. ISVs with multiple products typically use one namespace per product family and link multiple Namespace Orgs to the same Dev Hub.

Dev Hub is step 1 of the AppExchange ISV journey. Here's how it threads into the full pipeline:

• Enable Dev Hub in your PBO.

• Register a namespace in a separate Developer Edition Namespace Org, link to your Dev Hub.

• Develop your app in scratch orgs (sf org create scratch).

• Create your 2GP managed package (sf package create -t Managed).

• Build versions and promote to release (sf package version create/promote).

• Submit for AppExchange Security Review through the Partner Console ($999 fee for paid apps, $0 for free).

• Initial review takes 6 to 9 weeks. Pass, then list your app on AppExchange.

• Future version updates auto-approve in minutes via the Self-Review Wizard.

Pro Tip

Want to skip the Dev Hub + sf CLI learning curve? AI-native platforms like Appnigma generate 2GP managed packages from natural language prompts. You don't write Apex, manage scratch orgs, or run sf CLI commands. The platform handles the Dev Hub workflow on your behalf. Book a demo.

Dev Hub is the Salesforce platform feature you enable inside a Partner Business Org (PBO) or Developer Edition org to authorize scratch org creation, manage 2GP (Second-Generation) managed packages, register namespaces, and run the modern Salesforce DX development workflow. It's the persistent control plane for source-driven Salesforce development.

Setup > Quick Find > 'Dev Hub' > toggle 'Enable Dev Hub' to On. Once enabled, the org becomes your Dev Hub for issuing scratch orgs and managing packages. Optionally enable 'Enable Unlocked Packages and Second-Generation Managed Packages'. Note: once enabled, Dev Hub cannot be disabled.

Six capabilities: create and delete scratch orgs via sf CLI, register and link namespace orgs, create 2GP managed and unlocked packages, create package versions and promote betas to release, push package upgrades to subscriber orgs, and link to your License Management Org (LMO).

Limits depend on edition: Developer Edition (free) gets 3 active scratch orgs and 6 daily creations. Enterprise Edition gets 40 active and 80 daily. Partner Business Org gets 100 active and 100 daily. Performance and Unlimited Editions get 100 active and 200 daily. Salesforce will sell additional capacity to large ISV partners on request.

2GP is source-driven (Git-based) instead of org-based. The Dev Hub is the persistent authority that registers each package, tracks versions and ancestry, and authorizes scratch org provisioning for development and testing. Without Dev Hub, you cannot use the modern Salesforce DX workflow for managed packages.

Yes. Enabling Dev Hub in your Partner Business Org or in a paid Salesforce Enterprise Edition org is free. Developer Edition orgs (free) also include Dev Hub with smaller scratch org allocations. The only cost is the underlying org type and your Salesforce Partner Program membership (also free to join).

Dev Hub is the operational control plane for scratch orgs, packages, and versions. A Namespace Org is a Developer Edition org where you register your globally unique 1-15 character namespace prefix. ISVs typically have one Namespace Org per namespace, plus their PBO with Dev Hub enabled, linked together for 2GP packaging.

Inside your PBO with Dev Hub enabled, you run sf package create and sf package version create to produce a managed package, promote the beta to a release with sf package version promote, then submit through the Partner Console to the mandatory AppExchange Security Review ($999 for paid apps, 6 to 9 weeks initial review). The Dev Hub maintains the package's identity across versions.

Related reads for ISVs building on Salesforce DX:

• Salesforce Partner Business Org explained. The org where Dev Hub lives.

• The 2026 managed packages guide. 1GP vs 2GP, creation, upgrades.

• The 2026 ISV Partner Program guide. Tiers, costs, ISV vs OEM.

• How to list on AppExchange. The full lifecycle.

• The 2026 security review guide. Fees, timeline, top failures.

• How to build a managed package without code. The Appnigma path that skips the sf CLI workflow.

• Salesforce DX Developer Guide

• Enable Dev Hub in Your Org (Trailhead)

• Salesforce ISVforce Guide v66.0 Spring '26 PDF

• Second-Generation Managed Packaging Developer Guide