What is Feature Flags?
Feature flags are toggles in your code that let you enable or disable features at runtime without deploying new code. They decouple releasing code from releasing features.
In plain English
Feature flags are like light switches in a newly built house. The wiring for every room is already done — you just decide which switches to flip on and when. You can wire up new features while they're still under construction and flip them on the moment they're ready.
How it works
You wrap new functionality in an if-statement that checks a flag value from a configuration service. The flag can be on or off globally, or targeted to specific users, percentages of traffic, or user attributes. Changing the flag value in the dashboard propagates to your running app within seconds — no deploy needed.
Why it matters for AI-built apps
AI development moves fast, and feature flags let you ship code continuously without exposing unfinished work to users. They also enable safe rollouts: enable a new feature for 1% of users, monitor error rates, then gradually roll out to everyone. If something goes wrong, turn it off instantly.
Best practices
Clean up old flags regularly — long-lived flags become technical debt and make code hard to read. Use targeting rules to test new features internally before any user exposure. Pair flags with analytics to measure whether new features actually improve the metrics you care about.
Frequently asked questions
What tools offer feature flags?
LaunchDarkly is the enterprise standard. Growthbook and Unleash are open-source alternatives. Vercel Edge Config and Statsig are good options for Next.js apps.
Are feature flags the same as environment variables?
No — environment variables require a redeploy to change. Feature flags update in real time without touching the server. Use env vars for configuration that rarely changes, and flags for runtime toggles.
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