December 2017 Summaries

Heidi Waterhouse, Developer Advocate at LaunchDarkly, discussed feature flags and their use in the software development industry during an interview with the Technically Speaking podcast at the Agile Midwest conference. Feature flags allow developers to decouple deployment from code activation, reducing risks associated with continuous deployment. Companies like Microsoft and GoPro use feature flags for dark launching, internal testing, and as kill switches. LaunchDarkly provides feature flags as a service, enabling companies to manage their features effectively.

The latest update to the .NET SDK includes enhancements for faster and more efficient propagation of feature flag updates, such as support for streaming flag updates via Server-Sent Events. This reduces network traffic and enables users to leverage relay proxy with the .NET SDK. Upgrading to the newest version does not require code changes and offers benefits like faster feature flag updates and less outbound network traffic. For heavy LaunchDarkly users, the update unlocks relay proxy support for .NET users, allowing direct connections to hosts within their own datacenter. To prepare for this change, simply update the dependency version of "LaunchDarkly.Client" in project files and package configurations.

Phill Claxton, VP of Product at HappyCo and COO at Storekat.com, has implemented feature flags in three different organizations. He believes that feature flagging is most useful when a company hits the 100 customer mark, as it allows for faster learning and continuous delivery. Feature flags are particularly useful in the B2B space, but can be beneficial in other sectors as well. Claxton suggests that companies should start thinking about feature flagging early on, even before worrying about cohorts. He also emphasizes the importance of removing flags from the codebase to avoid unnecessary tech debt. Feature flags play a significant role in DevOps and continuous delivery, allowing for faster scaling and growth. Companies like LaunchDarkly are helping to evolve feature flag management by offering third-party solutions. However, Claxton believes that more companies need to recognize the importance of feature flagging as part of their growth strategy.

LaunchDarkly, founded by its CEO, offers a feature management platform that helps companies innovate more quickly, reduce risk, and break down barriers between teams. The company provides a service similar to the in-house feature flagging platforms used by tech giants like Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google. By managing feature flags at scale, LaunchDarkly allows customers to control who gets what features in their software. The platform is used by startups, companies transitioning from self-built feature management infrastructure, and innovators looking to move faster and stay competitive. With over 10 billion features served daily, LaunchDarkly has raised $1 million in its Series B funding round to accelerate growth in engineering, customer success, and category education.