Feature Flag Rollout Across Web Apps Without Redeployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for deploying software updates in web applications are time-consuming, costly, and prone to errors, especially when features span multiple applications, requiring full redeployment and rollback for all users if issues arise.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses feature flags managed through a centralized database, allowing controlled access to software features by subsets of users, enabling updates without redeploying all applications, and maintaining flags independently of the application codebase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a software update is deployed to all users, then the feature is accessible to everyone, but if a problem is discovered, a rollback must be conducted for all users which is time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments users into different subsets based on feature flag configurations. Instead of deploying updates to all users uniformly, the system allows selective rollout to specific user segments. This enables gradual adoption and isolates potential issues to limited segments, reducing the impact and time required for rollbacks when problems are discovered.
Solution Approach 2:
The feature flag system provides dynamic control over feature accessibility. Flags can be updated in real-time to activate, deactivate, or modify feature access for different user subsets without requiring application redeployment. This dynamic adjustment capability allows rapid response to issues, enabling quick rollback or modification of feature access for affected user segments.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the entire web application is redeployed to implement a new feature, then the feature is available across all applications, but the process is time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the feature control logic from the application codebase and places it in a centralized feature flag management system. This separation allows feature availability to be controlled independently of the application deployment. Updates to feature flags do not require application redeployment, significantly improving deployment efficiency while maintaining feature availability across applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The feature flag system acts as an intermediary between the application code and the feature activation. Instead of modifying application code to enable features, the system uses configurable flags as a mediator that controls feature accessibility. This intermediary layer decouples feature deployment from application deployment, allowing features to be activated without redeploying the entire application.
3Ease of operation
If feature flags are maintained in the configuration of each web application, then the features can be controlled locally, but code redundancy increases across applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the feature flag storage into a centralized database that is shared across all web applications. Instead of maintaining separate configuration copies in each application, the system uses a single source of truth. This consolidation eliminates code redundancy while preserving the ability to control features locally through application-specific flag queries, reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatuses, and computer-implemented methods provide for technology that identifies a flag associated with a software feature in response to a retrieval request received via an application programming interface (API), wherein the software feature is shared by a plurality of web applications, and wherein the plurality of web applications are associated with a plurality of users, conducts an update to the flag in response to an update request received via the API, wherein the update prevents a first subset of the plurality of users from accessing the software feature, and wherein the update permits a second subset of the plurality of users to access the software feature, and bypasses a redeployment of the plurality of web applications during the update.