Feature Toggle
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
Feature Toggle is just another name for Feature Flag — a switch you flip to turn a feature on or off without pushing new code. 'Toggle' emphasizes the switching behavior, like a light switch. Ship code, flip toggle, feature appears. Flip it back, feature disappears.
Real Talk
Feature toggles are synonymous with feature flags. The term 'toggle' emphasizes the boolean nature of the mechanism. They are managed through configuration systems, environment variables, or dedicated feature management platforms like LaunchDarkly or Unleash.
When You'll Hear This
"We use feature toggles to do dark launches — code ships but nothing is visible yet." / "The feature toggle for the new editor is enabled for beta users."
Related Terms
Canary Release
A canary release is like sending a canary into a coal mine — you deploy the new version to a tiny fraction of users first and watch closely.
Feature Flag
A feature flag is a toggle that lets you turn features on or off without deploying new code.
Release
A release is an official versioned snapshot of your software that you hand to the world.