What is a Feature Toggle?

A Feature Toggle, also known as a feature flag, is a technique used in software development to enable or disable features in a system without deploying new code. This approach allows developers to manage the release of new features more effectively by toggling them on or off through configuration, rather than changing the codebase. Feature Toggles provide an alternative to maintaining multiple feature branches in source code, facilitating continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) practices.

The primary advantage of using Feature Toggles is the ability to deploy new features to production while keeping them hidden until they are fully tested and ready for use. This enables teams to perform gradual rollouts, A/B testing, and canary releases, ensuring that new features do not disrupt the user experience. Additionally, Feature Toggles allow for quick rollback of features if issues are detected, enhancing the overall stability and reliability of the software. By decoupling feature release from code deployment, this technique supports more agile and flexible development workflows.