As dev teams continue to , the tools, and approaches for building and continue to improve as well. improve agility delivering software and assume the role of a solid basis for releasing software with and decreased risk. And one of the sure-fire ways to guarantee that everything that a customer faces is not subject to catastrophe is to leverage feature flagging. DevOps CI/CD practices boosted automation With that said, let's give you a low-down on top practices for this part of the . software development process Less is More Here’s the thing: Feature flagging is a lifesaver that can support many novel workflows needed in modern methods. However, going overboard with this practice can have the opposite effect. An excessive number of feature toggles means that there is a growing number of code paths. As a result, you end up with increased and complicated testing. To avoid that, turn to this practice only when it seems logical and always repurpose the existing features if possible. code complexity A Feature Flag Whose Job is Done Should Sink Into Oblivion Feature toggling lets you deploy code fast and with the least disruption. But when your experiment comes to an end, it’s time to wipe the slate clean to . avoid further chaos Otherwise, you face the risk of introducing the false feature to the audience. You can consider setting expiration dates for your feature toggles to cut through all that. Know Your Enemy by Name Technically, feature toggles are your best friends, but naming them still helps. To navigate the ocean of feature switches, it is important to . Without them, it is easy to get lost. give them a nomenclature labeling Most likely, you will forget about their designated use or use the same name another dozen times. And none of this will give you a leg up. Therefore, make sure to have a unified tagging system for better control and . team communication Use a Feature Toggle Management Tool Having a solid, helps to safely test features in production. You may think you are better off with a simple page of on-and-off checkboxes. But it gets trickier with the increasing number of features with a variety of statuses. easy-to-use platform Feature toggle management tools, on the other hand, account for better command of the application when you scale it. Use Feature Toggles for Experimenting Finally, feature switches empower software engineers with tools to roll out new features to particular audiences. Thus, instead of reading the tea leaves, you can just show the new functionality to the users and gauge their reaction. Imagine integrating a “get started” CTA button with different graphics, button styles, and font to see which one generates more clicks. Feature flags let you demonstrate the new functions to a narrow target audience and fetch valuable insights. You can then use those insights to course-correct the and fine-tune the feature to users' preferences. That’s how test the waters before rolling out a new update. development giant companies Summing up, feature toggle is a powerful technique that makes development faster and safer. Also, it’s your workaround way to deploy a new feature into production without turning it on until you’re ready. Make sure to use it wisely and implement the time-tested practices mentioned above. Subscribe to ’s thematic newsletters via our subscribe form in the footer. HackerNoon

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