Feature Toggles
Feature toggles (also known as feature flags) are a software development technique that allows developers to enable or disable features in a production environment without deploying new code. They act as conditional statements in the codebase that control whether a feature is active for users, enabling teams to decouple feature release from code deployment. This approach supports practices like canary releases, A/B testing, and gradual rollouts, helping manage risk and improve development workflows.
Developers should use feature toggles when they need to release features incrementally, test new functionality with a subset of users, or quickly disable problematic features without rolling back deployments. They are essential in continuous delivery pipelines for reducing deployment risks, enabling dark launches (where features are deployed but hidden), and facilitating experimentation in production environments. This methodology is particularly valuable in agile and DevOps contexts where rapid iteration and user feedback are priorities.