Company
Date Published
Author
Harness Team
Word count
972
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

Implementing feature flags is a crucial strategy for software teams to test and deploy new features safely in production environments. This technique allows teams to toggle features on or off without altering the codebase, ensuring smoother rollouts and reducing the risk of widespread bugs. Best practices include targeting internal users for initial tests, automating test flows for ongoing validation, and using approval gates and canary releases for controlled deployments. Managing toggle debt is essential to maintain a clean codebase, as unused or conflicting toggles can accumulate over time. Platforms like Split offer tools to manage feature flags effectively, enabling teams to conduct A/B testing and gather contextual data to assess feature performance. By integrating feature flags into the continuous delivery process, teams can increase release velocity, reduce mean time to recovery (MTTR), and maintain high levels of developer confidence and productivity.