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Cloud Computing & DevOps vocabulary · DevOps and CI/CD

Feature flag

Meaning in cloud computing & devops, with examples

nounCommon term

In cloud computing & devops, feature flag means: A setting that turns a feature on or off without deploying new code, so it can be shown to some users, tested in production or switched off quickly.

In Turkish: özellik bayrağı, feature flag, özellik anahtarı

How it is used

Also called a feature toggle. Code is shipped 'behind a feature flag' and the flag is later 'turned on' or 'flipped'. Old flags that nobody removes become technical debt. LaunchDarkly and Unleash are common tools.

Example sentences

  1. The new checkout is already in production behind a feature flag; we'll turn it on for staff first.

  2. When errors started, we just switched off the feature flag instead of doing a rollback.

Common collocations

  • behind a feature flag
  • turn on a feature flag
  • flip a flag
  • feature toggle
  • canary releaseReleasing a new version to a small share of users or servers first, watching its metrics, and only then rolling it out to everyone.
  • roll outTo release a new version, feature or change to users or servers, often step by step over a period of time rather than all at once.
  • deployTo put a new version of an application or service onto servers so that it starts running there, for example in a test environment or for real users.
  • continuous deliveryThe practice of keeping code always ready to release, so that any tested version can go to production at the push of a button.
  • rollbackReturning a system to an earlier, working version after a new change causes problems.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: DevOps and CI/CD

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