Teams use feature flags to separate deploying code from releasing a feature. Instead of making a new feature available to everyone immediately, they can keep it off, enable it for selected users, or gradually increase the rollout.
How Teams Manage Feature Flags
- Create a flag for the new feature.
- Deploy the code while keeping the flag disabled.
- Enable it for internal users or beta testers first.
- Roll it out to a small percentage of users.
- Monitor errors, performance, and user feedback.
- Increase the rollout gradually if everything works correctly.
- Turn the flag off quickly if the feature causes problems.
Targeting Selected Users
Feature flag tools can target users based on attributes such as account, location, subscription plan, user group, or percentage of traffic. This allows teams to test a feature with specific customers without exposing it to everyone.
Important Features in a Feature Flag Tool
- Gradual rollouts: Release features in stages such as 5%, 25%, 50%, and 100%.
- User targeting: Control exactly who can access a feature.
- Kill switches: Turn off a problematic feature without waiting for another deployment.
- A/B testing: Show different versions to different user groups and measure results.
- Environment management: Keep separate controls for development, testing, staging, and production.
- Approval and permissions: Control who can create or change production flags.
- Monitoring and analytics: Track feature usage and its effect on performance or user behavior.
- Audit logs: See who changed a flag and when.
- Flag cleanup: Identify old flags that are no longer needed so they do not create technical debt.
- SDK support: Make it easy for developers to use flags across web, mobile, and backend applications.
Common Tools
Popular options include LaunchDarkly, Statsig, Harness, Unleash, Flagsmith, and ConfigCat. They differ mainly in their focus on progressive delivery, experimentation, governance, integrations, and self-hosting.
Conclusion
Feature flag management is useful because it gives development teams control over when, where, and to whom new functionality is released. The most useful tools combine gradual rollout, user targeting, kill switches, testing, monitoring, permissions, and flag lifecycle management for everyday development.