FeatureFlags

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Revision 5 as of 2011-02-15 08:22:09

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Feature Flags

FeatureFlags allow Launchpad's configuration to be changed while it's running, and for particular features or behaviours to be exposed to only a subset of users or requests.

Key points

Scenarios

Concepts

A feature flag has a string name, and has a dynamically-determined value within a particular context such as a web or api request. The value in that context depends on determining which scopes are relevant to the context, and what rules exist for that flag and scopes. The rules are totally ordered and the highest-prority rule determines the relevant value.

For a list of available flags and scopes see https://launchpad.net/+feature-info

Priority

Prority is exposed as an integer that gives a total order across all rules. The numerically highest priority wins. For example with these rules

hard_timeout team:admins 1 18000
hard_timeout default 0 15000

the first rule has a higher priority (1 > 0). So that rule is evaluated first, and it will match for anyone in ~admins. If that doesn't match, the second is evaluated and it is always true. So admins get a 18s timeout, and everyone else 15s.

Operations

A change to a flag in production counts as a production change: it is made by a LOSA on request from a squad lead, or other relevant manager. Ask in #launchpad-ops or #launchpad-dev.

Feature rules are loosely coupled to code changes: you can activate rules before the code they control is live.

Web interface

Debugging

A html comment at the bottom of rendered pages describes which features were looked up, and which scopes were consulted to make that decision. This doesn't include features that could be active but aren't relevant to the page, or scopes that may be active but aren't relevant to deciding the value of the features.

Performance

Feature flags are designed and intended to be fast enough that they can be used as much as is useful within reason. The result of a flag and of a scope is checked at most once per request.

Naming conventions

Flag naming

Flags should be named as

where each of the parts is a legal Python name (so use underscores to join words, not dashes.)

The scope is the general area of Launchpad this relates to: eg 'code', 'librarian', ...

The feature is the particular thing that's being controlled, such as 'recipes' or 'render_time'.

The effect is typically 'enabled', 'visible', or 'timeout'. These should always be in the positive sense, not 'disabled'. If timeouts are given, they should be in seconds (decimals can be given in the value.)

Scope naming

Servers are matched using a simple regexp and for those that take parameters they are separated by a colon, eg team:admins.

There is no way at present to give a rule that checks multiple scopes or any other boolean conditions. You need to either choose one to match first, or add a new scope that matches just what you need, or extend the feature flag infrastructure to evaluate boolean expressions.

Reading a feature flag

Adding a new feature flag

If you introduce a new feature flag, as well as reading it from whereever is useful, you should also:

Adding a new scope controller

Add a new class in lib/lp/services/features/scopes.py and insert it into HANDLERS in that file.

See also