The Stack Overflow Podcast Feature flags: Theory meets reality
8 snips
Jan 31, 2025 Finn Glover, CEO of Schematic, and Ben Papalon, CTO, share their expertise in software and startups. They dive into the complexities of feature flags, highlighting the gap between theory and reality in software development. The duo discusses managing technical debt and the risks of flag retention. They also introduce innovative approaches to feature management that enhance pricing flexibility and user experience. Additionally, they explore challenges startups face with feature flags, balancing engineering needs with business strategies.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Feature Flag Sprawl
- Feature flags, intended for operational uses like rollouts and A/B testing, often become long-lived technical debt.
- This "sprawl" occurs because cleanup is often neglected due to unclear ownership or lack of incentive.
Accepting Sprawl
- Accept feature flag sprawl as inevitable, like Planet Fitness's judgment-free zone.
- Focus on tools and practices that support long-lived flags, enabling use cases like entitlements.
Managing Complexity
- Manage feature flag complexity with architectural patterns.
- Use wrapper components, middleware, or configs to avoid scattered if statements and reduce cognitive load.