---
schema_version: "1"
id: 6aae09ee98758ff167c97eeeb72e3f1ae71be4e1955fb09caeea162da2b48077
title: Sandbox and Scratch Orgs
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/release-notes/264-0-0/rn_dev_environments.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_dev_environments.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
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content_type: documentation
content_hash: 5c8c474cac326dea35759a8d3f37cbd90d1b788f311870ed6d2c99ca93a7518f
description: Sandbox and scratch orgs are full-featured Salesforce environments that you use to develop and test new or existing features, configurations, and custom applications.
products:
  - Cross Cloud
release: "264"
---
# Sandbox and Scratch Orgs

Sandbox and scratch orgs are full-featured Salesforce environments that you use to develop and test new or existing features, configurations, and custom applications.

- **[Manage the Full Lifecycle of Your Sandboxes with AI Skills](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_sandboxes_ai_skills.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Use AI Skills to manage your sandboxes directly from your AI coding client. AI Skills are packaged instruction sets that give AI coding clients specialized knowledge for building on the Salesforce platform. When you describe what you want in natural language, three skills help you create, refresh, and activate sandboxes, and generate and apply post-copy configuration files.
- **[Create, Compare, and Manage Scratch Orgs with AI Skills](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_scratch_orgs_ai_skills.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Use AI Skills to manage your scratch orgs directly from your AI coding client. AI Skills are packaged instruction sets that give AI coding clients specialized knowledge for building on the Salesforce platform. When you describe what you want in natural language, five skills help you create and manage scratch orgs, org shapes, and scratch org snapshots, compare orgs for drift, and track org expiration.
- **[Data Mask & Seed](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_data_mask_and_seed.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Secure your sandbox data by using Salesforce's Data Mask & Seed. Admins and dev teams can define masking policies and use them to mask sensitive sandbox data, such as proprietary, restricted, government-regulated, and personally identifiable information (PII).