Feature Flagging 101: Specific Use Cases for Feature Flags

Feature Flagging Use Cases

Last week’s Feature Flagging 101 content focused on general feature flagging use cases. From A/B testing to canary releases, blue/green deployments, and dark launches, we covered all the basics. Today, we’re getting a little more specific and showing you how real world companies have utilized feature flags in their real world applications. You might just get an idea or two for how your own team can use feature flags! Let’s take a look. 

Feature flags in the real world

A streaming service… 

...used feature flags to extensively manage the release of their new “skip intro” feature that allows users to skip the opening credits of a show. They gradually released the feature to a small group of users, allowing them to test it in a controlled environment and identify any bugs before releasing it to everyone. Now, 100% of their users have access to the feature.

A rapidly growing SaaS company… 

…used feature flags to optimize their user onboarding process with a new “guided tour” feature for their users. With feature flags, they first released the feature to internal employees, and then to a group of trusted beta testers, so that they could gather valuable feedback and refine the onboarding experience before releasing to everyone. Since releasing, they’ve ensured a seamless and intuitive experience, driving user engagement and product adoption right from the start.

A large e-commerce company...

…utilizes feature flags to deliver personalized experiences to their vast user base. By enabling different variations of their website based on user preferences, demographics, and browsing behavior, they provide tailored recommendations, promotions, and content, leading to higher conversion rates and customer satisfaction.

A dev tools company…

…utilized feature flags to seamlessly migrate from one database to another. By gradually switching the database connections using feature flags, they were able to ensure data integrity, minimize downtime, and seamlessly transition to a new database system while maintaining a smooth user experience. 

A marketing firm… 

…used feature flags to experiment with new features across multiple domains. They were able to enable or disable specific features for different client projects, allowing them to iterate quickly, gather feedback, and fine-tune features before wider releases. This resulted in more effective, data-driven marketing campaigns down.

A ride sharing company…

…uses feature flags to improve the performance of their mobile app by disabling certain features or services based on a user’s location or network connectivity. This improves the reliability of their app and minimizes the risk of crashes, which translates into greater user satisfaction.

A technology-driven enterprise…

…leverages feature flags in their CI/CD pipeline to easily control the activation and rollout of new features. By decoupling feature releases from code deployments, they can test and validate features in production-like environments while maintaining a stable application. This approach allows for flexibility, experimentation, and gradual feature releases to ensure a smooth user experience and minimize deployment risks. 

A global financial institution… 

…utilizes feature flags for operational flexibility. They employ flags to enable or disable specific features or components during peak periods or maintenance windows, allowing them to optimize resource utilization, improve performance, and deliver a seamless user experience even during high-demand periods.

There's a feature flag for that

These companies showcase the versatility of feature flags, and how they’re transforming development processes across various industries. Whether it's creating seamless onboarding experiences, delivering personalized user experiences, or supercharging CI/CD pipelines, feature flags are invaluable tools that modern development teams swear by. 

Check out more ways teams are using DevCycle's feature flags here, and learn how we use DevCycle to build DevCycle here!