Feature Flags
Feature flags (also known as feature toggles or feature switches) are a software development technique that allows developers to enable or disable features in an application without deploying new code. They provide a way to decouple feature release from code deployment, enabling controlled rollouts, A/B testing, and quick rollbacks. This approach helps manage risk and improve deployment flexibility in continuous delivery environments.
Developers should use feature flags to implement continuous delivery practices safely, allowing them to release features gradually to specific user segments (e.g., internal teams, beta testers, or percentage-based rollouts) and quickly disable problematic features without redeploying. They are essential for reducing deployment risks, enabling experimentation (like A/B testing), and supporting trunk-based development by keeping incomplete features hidden in production until ready.