Hashing it Right: Solving a Gradual Rollout Puzzle

In an article by Jaanus Sellin dated November 7, 2023, the role of hashing, specifically Murmur hashing, in the Unleash platform's feature flagging system is explored, highlighting its significance in executing gradual rollouts of new features. The Unleash team uses Murmur hashing to consistently determine which subset of users sees a new feature, ensuring a stable user experience across devices. However, they encountered a discrepancy where user distribution across feature flag variants did not align with expected percentages during partial rollouts. This was traced back to using the same seed for two hashing operations, which introduced bias and skewed distribution. The solution involved using distinct seeds for separate hashing operations, which resolved the issue but required an update across all SDKs, potentially disrupting user experience temporarily. Despite these challenges, the team is confident that the revised approach enhances the system's integrity and user experience.

No tracked trend matches for this post yet.

Use this post, company, and trend context to find content marketing opportunities, perform competitive analysis, or address product feature gaps via the Plushcap MCP server or the Plushcap API.