In-Depth: Harness Feature Flags Relay Proxy

The Harness Relay Proxy offers enhanced network security and operational efficiency by caching feature flag data internally, allowing client SDKs to fetch updates without making direct outbound connections to the Harness platform. This proxy, a lightweight Go application, operates within a user's infrastructure to manage streaming connections, making it particularly appealing to large or security-focused organizations by reducing network traffic and external dependencies. It supports multiple environments and projects, serving as a direct connection replacement, and provides high availability by caching all flag data, ensuring continuity even if connectivity issues arise. The proxy is especially beneficial in scenarios where reducing external connections is crucial, though it may not be necessary for smaller enterprises. While there is no additional cost for the proxy beyond regular subscriptions, users must account for operational and setup costs. Transitioning to the proxy from a standard deployment is straightforward, requiring only configuration changes, and can be done gradually to evaluate its benefits.