The document introduces feature flags as a crucial method in software development, allowing developers to deploy incomplete features to production for testing and feedback. Feature flags facilitate a more efficient development cycle, eliminate the need for separate testing environments, and provide flexible controls over feature releases. The content emphasizes the benefits, use cases, and seamless integration of feature flags in software development processes.

1.  May 23, 2023  No Comment
An Introduction to Feature Flags
Let’s consider a world, not in the distant future but in the present, to
feature a unique testing environment. A testing environment is completely
separated from an organization’s other sandboxes. This environment for
testing will allow everyone to test almost everything in production. The
idea behind this testing environment is to accumulate valuable data that
will help your production team make significant improvements. And that’s
the secret ingredient? Feature Flags!
The most significant pain point for any production/testing environment is
deciding if the idea is genius or foolish. Feature flags help you directly
deploy your applications’ new versions and features into a production
environment in miniature batches.
What are feature flags?
Feature flags is a coming-up-age software engineering method that
allows developers to continually integrate into the primary’ trunk.’ With
feature flags, developers can ship incomplete features into the production
state. These features will be dormant till they are ready to be worked
upon. Feature flags also play a quintessential role in software development
and delivery. When the feature in development is complete, the code can
be activated on demand.
Feature flags have complete over which code paths can be activated at a
given period. Several names are associated with feature flags, such as
switchers, feature toggles, and flippers. During the runtime or build time,
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2. these flags can be switched on or off promptly when teams can change
an application’s behavior without updating the code; that solves most of
the problem.
**Trunk- The major development branch that comes directly under the
version control system.
Benefits of feature flags
Feature flags are extremely powerful in SDLC, despite adding complexity to
their codebase. Some of the benefits that feature flags offer are:
Production Testing:
Feature flags eliminate the need for a distinctive testing environment.
Hence, making new features enabled for beta users and developers
becomes seamless.
Development Cycle:
If feature flags are not in place during development, you’d need to hold
off on deployment till testing is done. This process usually takes weeks;
however, the development cycle is cut short with feature flags. Feature
flags allow developers to get into the SDLC process multiple times, try
the partially developed features, and receive instantaneous feedback!
Simple Version Control:
Feature flags employ a trunk-based development process, which allows
people to continuously integrate, merge every day, iterate, and minimize
the process of merging conflicts.
Decoupling Businesses:
During SDLC, there are times when a feature is ready-for-release.
However, developers publish it. With feature flags, you can switch it on
whenever it deems fit.
Seamless Release:
Feature flags ensure a superior control level for blue-green and canary
releases.
Who uses feature flags?
Developers have primarily used feature flags for several years. Engineers
and developers use them for continuous deployment and later configure
them as they are implicated directly into the code. Before feature flags
existed, Boolean flags, an exceedingly simple toggle, were used to turn any
feature on or off. Other than being very basic in complexity, Boolean flags
only comprise true or false values.
With several development and evolution over the years, product
managers have garnered control over releases alongside their ability to
update feature flags while running experiments. At the same time,
developers can deploy code at their will, but it’s about the managers to
divide who witnesses any change in production.
As several teams are seen using feature flags, the most common users are:
Developers
Product Managers
Quality Assurance
Feature Flags: Use Cases
Feature flags are extensively used to release new features embedded in
the software. Besides canary launches, you can do several other things,
such as activating features for a country-wide event or installing per-

3. Automated page speed optimizations for fast site performance
region or per-user commands. You cannot get any different technique
that offers such control.
Feature flags roadmap for usage:
1. Code: To deploy a new feature that can be disabled for everyone else.
2. Test: You can bring in developers and internal testers when the
feature is almost completed.
3. Canary/Beta: After completing several testing and iterations, you can
toggle it either for beta users or provide it for usage for a specific
population group.
4. Iterate: This step ensures you gather metrics alongside usage
analytics. As you continue to gather feedback, iterating later
becomes better.
5. Release: As for the last step, you can toggle the feature for everyone.
**Note that both deployment & release should be distinctive. It’s about
you to decide if the feature is available or not based on if the release
meets up with the business parameters. Feature flags are a great way to
achieve an excellent business opportunity.
CloudZenix uses feature flags to
enable seamless development
For years now, feature flags have indeed become a staple for software
development that enables the DevOps team to release features hassle-
free and seamlessly. CloudZenix leverages feature flags as an integral part
of the software development process. Our process to implement feature
flags in your code is easy. We can help you create flags inside the platform
and then help you wrap features in code alongside flags while
implementing them.
Once the feature flags are live, we’ll help you manage them. We will review
the flag at a regular cadence and then remove the parts of the feature
flag which aren’t required anymore. The best part is we can make the
entire process automated for you. Want to know more about feature flags
or DevOps and Cloud Computing? Get in touch with us at:
info@cloudzenix.com.