Feature flags

We sometimes employ feature flags to develop features that aren't fully formed at the moment of deployment. They can also be employed to roll out features in production incrementally.

Feature flags are meant to be temporary and part of a rollout plan resulting in their removal.

Since we do not expose feature flags to Forem Creators, we have built in the concept of an extension which ties in closely with Feature Flags. You can view Extensions at /admin/advanced/extensions.

Creating a new feature flag

To create a new feature flag, we use data update scripts so that they can be made available over the entire Forem fleet, for example:

bundle exec rails g data_update AddAwesomeAlgorithmFeatureFlag

This will generate a script and its spec. Once done, you can add the new feature flag like this:

module DataUpdateScripts
  class AddAwesomeAlgorithmFeatureFlag
    def run
      FeatureFlag.add(:awesome_algorithm)
    end
  end
end

and then start using it right away.

Guarding a feature behind a flag

Once the feature flag is added, you can start using it to hide the feature behind a boolean flag:

if FeatureFlag.enabled?(:awesome_algorithm)
  # call the new code
else
  # call the previous code
end

or, for example in a view:

<% if FeatureFlag.enabled?(:blue_button) %>
  <%= render "blue_button" %>
<% else %>
  <%= render "good_old_button" %>
<% end %>

Enabling/disabling a feature flag globally

As mentioned, feature flags can be used to test a work in progress feature or to test a new approach directly in production.

To enable such a feature:

• Log in to the Forem
• Go to /admin/feature_flags (it requires the tech_admin role)
• Click on the flag you want to enable and press "Fully Enable".

Removing a feature flag

Once the feature has been validated and finalized or discarded, please remember to remove its flag with a final data update script, for example:

bundle exec rails g data_update RemoveAwesomeAlgorithmFeatureFlag

module DataUpdateScripts
  class AwesomeAlgorithmFeatureFlag
    def run
      FeatureFlag.remove(:awesome_algorithm)
    end
  end
end

This will ensure that the feature will be removed from all Forems.