Introduction
Salesforce recommends Lightning Web Components as the preferred programming model for building UI on the platform. Aura still exists and still powers important parts of the platform, but it is no longer the default choice for new component work.
Salesforce guidance
- LWC is the preferred model for new UI development.
- LWC aligns more closely with modern web standards.
- Aura remains relevant for some capabilities, interoperability scenarios, and legacy investments.
When Aura still matters
Even in modern orgs, Aura can still appear where older implementations exist or where some platform features historically depended on it. The most important architectural point is that legacy relevance is not the same thing as a default for new work.
Example choices
A new record dashboard, utility UI, or reusable component library should almost always start in LWC. An older complex Aura implementation may remain in Aura temporarily if rewriting it creates more risk than value in the near term. The right question is not “Can Aura do this?” but “Does this new requirement actually need Aura at all?”