Feature Lifecycle
Feature lifecycle was introduced in Unleash 6.0.0
Feature Lifecycle facilitates tracking the progression of features through various stages in their development and operational phases. This systematic approach helps in identifying potential bottlenecks and improving the overall efficiency of the software development process.
Lifecycle stages
Each stage in the lifecycle has a defined purpose:
Initial stage
The feature flag is created but remains unseen in any environment.
Purpose: marks the initiation of the feature.
Pre-live stage
The feature flag is used in non-production environment or is attempted to be used in a disabled production environment. Usage is derived from the SDK's last seen metrics.
Purpose: testing and validating the feature before it goes live.
Live stage
The feature is used in the enabled production environment. Usage is derived from the SDK's last seen metrics. Once enough has been learned about the feature from production usage, you can mark the feature as completed. When marking a feature as complete, you decide whether to keep the feature, discard it, or keep one variant of the feature. This information can be used by code cleanup tools to automate feature removal from your code.
Purpose: testing and validating the feature in production and marking feature completion.
Completed stage
The feature's objectives have been achieved, and it is ready to be phased out. The lifecycle feature warns you if a completed feature continues to receive traffic, signaling that it hasn't been fully removed from the code. If you've accidentally marked the feature as completed, you can always revert it to the live stage.
Purpose: initiating cleanup processes and signalling when it's safe to archive a feature.
Archived stage
The feature is archived in Unleash and can be deleted. If an archived feature is revived, it starts a new lifecycle with a new initial stage.
Purpose: reducing technical debt by removing obsolete features.
Lifecycle stages and process improvement
Understanding how much time a feature spends in each stage can highlight inefficiencies:
- Stuck in Initial: May indicate integration issues in pre-production setups.
- Stuck in Pre-live: Suggests challenges in achieving production readiness.
- Stuck in Live: Could imply difficulties in data gathering or decision-making regarding the feature’s future.
- Stuck in Completed: Indicates delays in decommissioning the feature and cleaning up resources.