Lately, it’s become harder for developers to get a Personal Developer Instance (PDI) when they need one.
Demand has outpaced capacity, and inactive instances are preventing builders from getting access.
That’s why we’re reclaiming inactive PDIs as one step in a broader effort to make PDIs more consistently available for developers who are actively building.
We know these changes may be frustrating for some developers, but it’s an important step toward improving access across the developer community.
Here’s what’s changing and how to protect your work.
What's Changing
We're reclaiming PDIs that meet both of these conditions:
- 90 days or older (based on when they were provisioned)
- Haven't had a PDI login in the last 10 days
Background processes and developer site logins don’t count toward activity. An explicit login to your PDI is required.
How You'll Know if You’re Affected
No one’s PDI will be reclaimed without advance notice. If your PDI is eligible for reclamation, you’ll receive three email notifications:
- July 7: First notification
- July 10: Reminder sent one day before reclamation
- July 11: Reclamation notification
If you've received a PDI reclamation email, plan for your PDI to be reclaimed even if you log in after receiving the notification. Please back up anything you want to keep before your scheduled reclaim date.
How to Protect Your Work
Before your PDI is reclaimed, make sure you’ve backed up anything you want to keep:
- Export your update sets.
- Connect scoped apps to source control.
- Export custom data you'll want later.
- Save attachments and configurations.
- Back up custom scripts and properties.
PDIs are designed for experimentation, learning, and short-term projects. Regular backups are the best way to preserve your work. For detailed backup instructions, see How to Back Up Your Personal Developer Instance (PDI).
Where This Is Headed
Reclaiming inactive PDIs is just one step in a broader effort to improve PDI availability for developers.
We’re also evaluating improvements to the underlying PDI infrastructure to provide a more reliable and performant developer experience.
We’ll continue monitoring how well these changes improve access for developers while evaluating additional improvements. As those plans are finalized, we’ll share updates with the Community.
Questions? Let us know in the comments below.
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