05.3 · Capability in Shipping

Controlled releases

Separating deploying code from releasing features, so changes reach users gradually and can be switched off.

Map4 skills

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4 skillsClick a hexagon to set your status

05.3.1Feature flagsTurning features on and off without deploying.
05.3.2Staged rolloutsReleasing to a growing share of users while watching the impact.
05.3.3Beta programsGiving early access to willing users in exchange for feedback.
05.3.4Canary releasesRunning a new version on a small slice of traffic first.

Mark all 4

Where to start

3 resources

articleStart here
Canary release ↗
Danilo Sato (martinfowler.com) · 5 min
Expose a new version to a small group first and widen it only while it stays healthy.
articleGo deeper
Feature toggles (aka feature flags) ↗
Pete Hodgson (martinfowler.com) · 2017 · 35 min
The four kinds of feature flags, how long each should live, and how to stop them turning into debt.
bookGo deeper
Canarying releases (The Site Reliability Workbook, chapter 16) ↗
Google SRE · 25 min
How big a canary should be, how long to wait, and which metrics decide whether to continue.

4 tools

ToolOpen source
Unleash
getunleash.io ↗
Open-source feature flag platform for gradual rollouts, kill switches and experiments.
ToolOpen source
Flagsmith
flagsmith.com ↗
Open-source feature flag and remote config service, hosted or self-hosted.
ToolPaid
LaunchDarkly
launchdarkly.com ↗
Feature management platform for targeted rollouts, release monitoring and experiments.
ToolOpen source
GrowthBook
growthbook.io ↗
Open-source feature flags and A/B testing that analyzes results from your own data warehouse.