Updated for Winter '26 (Slack Platform)
Last Updated: November 2025 | Exam: Salesforce Certified Slack Developer (Slack-Dev-201)
This guide reflects the latest Slack Developer exam outline: Slack apps, interactive workflows, Web & Events APIs, security best practices, Enterprise Grid / Admin APIs, and app distribution.
⚡ What’s Hot for Slack Developers in 2025–26?
More emphasis on choosing the right surface (App Home, modals, messages) and designing app flows that keep users in context.
Stronger focus on Events API vs Web API, Socket Mode, rate limiting and designing resilient event-driven apps.
More real-world scenarios around Admin & SCIM APIs, Slack Connect and scaling apps for large, regulated organizations.
Salesforce Certified Slack Developer Exam Guide
Winter ’26 | Domains, Topics & Practice Questions
For developers who design, build and secure Slack apps using Slack’s APIs, events, Bolt framework, Block Kit and Admin APIs.
📊 Exam at a Glance
📝 Note: Slack exam details may change. Always review the official Salesforce Certified Slack Developer page and Trailhead prep material before scheduling.
👤 Who Is This Exam For?
- Developers building Slack apps that integrate with internal tools or external SaaS.
- Engineers working with Slack Web API, Events API, Socket Mode, SCIM & Admin APIs.
- Consultants automating workflows with Bolt, Block Kit, shortcuts, slash commands.
- Developers responsible for enterprise-grade Slack apps on Slack Enterprise Grid.
Exam Objectives & Weightage – Salesforce Certified Slack Developer
1. Apps in the Slack Platform
7%Understand when Slack apps are the right solution, and how they fit into a workspace or Enterprise Grid environment.
View Key Topics ▼
- When to use a Slack app vs workflow builder vs off-the-shelf integrations
- Slack surfaces: messages, modals, App Home and use cases
- Basic app configuration: manifests, redirect URLs, signing secrets
- Collaborating as a dev team on a Slack app (workspaces, sandboxes)
2. Design the Interactive Flow of Your App
20%Build end-to-end workflows using Slack’s interaction patterns, triggers and UI components.
View Key Topics ▼
- Choosing between slash commands, shortcuts, buttons, select menus
- Handling multiple entry points into the same workflow
- Designing modal flows (submissions, validations, updates)
- Using Block Kit to design interactive, accessible UIs
- Making flows resilient to timeouts and partial failures
3. Working with Slack APIs
13%Choose and implement the right API (Web, Events, Socket Mode) based on your app’s architecture and hosting model.
View Key Topics ▼
- Web API vs Events API vs Socket Mode
- Choosing polling vs event-driven designs
- Handling rate limits and retries
- Using cursors for pagination and large workspaces
- Common Web API methods for messages, channels, files and reactions
4. Creating a Great User Experience
8%Design Slack apps that feel native, respectful and productive for end-users.
View Key Topics ▼
- Writing clear, concise copy in messages & modals
- Designing non-spammy notifications and reminders
- Using App Home effectively (dashboards, status, shortcuts)
- Handling errors and edge cases gracefully in the UI
- Accessibility and mobile friendliness considerations
5. Security Best Practices
19%Secure apps across OAuth, scopes, tokens, data handling and workspace permissions.
View Key Topics ▼
- OAuth 2.0 installation flow & granular scopes
- Bot vs user tokens, token rotation and storage
- Verifying requests with signing secrets & timestamps
- Least privilege and minimizing data retention
- Compliance patterns for regulated industries (DLP, eDiscovery)
6. Scaling for Enterprise Use
9%Build apps that work reliably on Slack Enterprise Grid with many workspaces and users.
View Key Topics ▼
- Enterprise Grid concepts: org, workspaces, shared channels
- Handling org-wide installations vs single workspace installs
- Rate limit strategies for very large orgs
- Testing apps in sandbox and staging workspaces
- Slack Connect and cross-org collaboration implications
7. Developer Tools & Resources
5%Use official tooling and frameworks to speed up Slack app development.
View Key Topics ▼
- Bolt framework (Node, Python, Java) fundamentals
- Using Block Kit Builder for UI prototyping
- Slack CLI / local dev tools and tunneling options
- Reading docs, API reference and example apps effectively
- Using logs and monitoring tools during development
8. Admin & Management APIs
12%Automate workspace administration, user management and governance using Slack’s admin-level APIs.
View Key Topics ▼
- Admin API capabilities: channels, workspaces, approvals
- SCIM API for user & group lifecycle
- Audit Logs API for monitoring activity
- Discovery APIs for eDiscovery / compliance scenarios
- Required roles and permissions for admin tokens
9. App Distribution
7%Share and publish apps safely across workspaces and organizations.
View Key Topics ▼
- Single-workspace vs distributed vs directory-listed apps
- Managing installs across multiple workspaces
- App review process and best practices for App Directory
- Versioning, changelogs and deprecation strategies
- Communicating changes to admins and end-users
📝 Sample Salesforce Slack Developer Exam Questions
Question 1: Choosing the Right Surface
A team lead wants a Slack app that shows their team’s current project status, open incidents, and quick actions in one place. They want to open it on demand without cluttering channels. Which surface is MOST appropriate?
A) A scheduled message posted to #team-status each morning
B) A slash command that posts ephemeral messages in random channels
C) An App Home view that shows a persistent dashboard
D) A direct message from the bot every hour
✅ Correct Answer: C) App Home view
Explanation: App Home is ideal for on-demand, persistent dashboards where users can
return any time. Channel messages or frequent DMs would create noise rather than a clean, focused experience.
Question 2: Web API vs Events API
Your app should post a summary message to a channel whenever a user uploads a file to that channel. You want this to happen even if no user explicitly invokes the app. What is the best high-level approach?
A) Poll the Web API every few seconds for new files
B) Subscribe to file_shared events via the Events API
C) Use a slash command that users run after every upload
D) Trigger a workflow builder automation with no app
✅ Correct Answer: B) Subscribe to file_shared events
Explanation: This is a classic event-driven use case. The app should listen for
events and then use the Web API to post summaries, rather than polling.
Question 3: Security & Scopes
A developer wants their app to read messages from private channels across the workspace. Which is the MOST appropriate guidance?
A) Use the broadest possible scope so the app never fails
B) Ask an org owner to grant all scopes once at install
C) Request only the specific channels:history / groups:history scopes your use case needs
D) Store a user’s password and log in as them programmatically
✅ Correct Answer: C) Request only specific scopes
Explanation: Slack follows the least privilege principle. Apps should request
the minimal scopes necessary, and never handle user passwords directly.
Question 4: Enterprise Grid & Scaling
You are building an app for an Enterprise Grid org with thousands of workspaces. The app should be available to all workspaces, but some teams may opt out. Which installation model is MOST appropriate?
A) Install the app separately in each workspace using different code bases
B) Use an org-level installation and let workspace admins opt in/out
C) Use a single-workspace installation and share channels with others
D) Ask users to side-load the app manually via token sharing
✅ Correct Answer: B) Org-level installation with workspace opt-in
Explanation: On Enterprise Grid, org-level installs simplify deployment and governance while
still allowing workspace-level controls.
Question 5: Admin & Management APIs
A security team wants to automatically deactivate Slack accounts when employees leave the company. Which API is MOST appropriate for implementing this requirement?
A) Web API chat.postMessage
B) SCIM API for user lifecycle management
C) Events API with user_change subscription only
D) Bolt framework’s built-in deactivation hook
✅ Correct Answer: B) SCIM API
Explanation: The SCIM API is designed for automating provisioning and
de-provisioning of users and groups, and is the recommended approach for HR-driven lifecycle events.
📚 Study Resources & 4–6 Week Preparation Plan
🎯 Recommended Plan
Read the official exam guide and docs. Build a simple app that uses App Home, a message action, and a slash command.
Practice using the Events API, Web API and optionally Socket Mode. Implement rate-limit handling and error logging.
Build an app with full OAuth install flow, granular scopes, signing secret validation, and secure token storage.
Study Enterprise Grid, Admin & SCIM APIs. Take practice questions and review each domain’s weak spots before exam day.
💡 Exam-Day Tips (Developer Mindset)
For each scenario, mentally sketch the user flow (entry points → surfaces → APIs) before picking an answer.
If two answers are similar, prefer the one that better protects tokens, respects scopes, and avoids oversharing data.
Remove options that clearly violate Slack guidelines (spammy messages, storing passwords, unnecessary scopes) to boost your odds on tough questions.
❓ Salesforce Certified Slack Developer – FAQ
Is this a Salesforce certification or a Slack certification?
It’s branded as Salesforce Certified Slack Developer. Slack certifications now live under the Salesforce certification umbrella and are scheduled like other Salesforce exams.
Do I need to know a specific programming language?
The exam is language-agnostic, but you should be comfortable with at least one backend language (Node.js, Python, Java, etc.) and general web app development concepts.
How much real-world experience do I need?
Aim for 6–12 months building or maintaining Slack apps, or recreate that experience with intensive sandbox projects using the Slack API docs and tutorials.
Is Platform Developer I required?
No, PD1 is not a prerequisite. However, if you’re already a Salesforce developer, PD1 skills (APIs, OAuth, web patterns) transfer nicely into Slack development.
Does the exam use real code snippets?
Expect conceptual and scenario-based questions, with some pseudo-code or JSON/Block Kit payloads. You won’t be asked to write long functions, but you must understand how things fit together.
What’s a good next step after Slack Developer?
Many candidates go on to Slack Administrator or Slack Consultant to cover configuration and rollout skills, or deepen on the Salesforce side with JavaScript Developer I or Platform Developer certifications.