[Orgs] Put Orgs Entrypoints Behind A Feature Flag

Mar 10, 2025 by ADMIN 50 views

Introduction

As we continue to develop and refine our product, it's essential to ensure that new features are properly gated and tested before being exposed to all users. This is where feature flags come in – a powerful tool that allows us to control the rollout of new features, reducing the risk of unintended consequences and ensuring a smoother user experience. In this article, we'll explore the process of putting orgs entry points behind a feature flag, a crucial step in our ongoing efforts to improve the security and usability of our platform.

What are Feature Flags?

Feature flags are a software development technique that allows us to toggle the availability of specific features or functionality on a per-user or per-environment basis. By using feature flags, we can control the rollout of new features, test them in a controlled environment, and gather feedback from a select group of users before making them available to the broader user base. This approach enables us to reduce the risk of introducing bugs or unintended consequences, ensuring a more stable and reliable user experience.

Why Put Orgs Entry Points Behind a Feature Flag?

There are several reasons why we should put orgs entry points behind a feature flag:

Improved Security: By gating orgs entry points behind a feature flag, we can ensure that only authorized users have access to these features, reducing the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches.
Enhanced User Experience: Feature flags allow us to test new features in a controlled environment, ensuring that they are stable and functional before making them available to all users.
Reduced Risk: By using feature flags, we can reduce the risk of introducing bugs or unintended consequences, ensuring a more stable and reliable user experience.

Adding a Feature Flag for the Organizations Tab

To add a feature flag for the organizations tab on the accounts page, we'll need to follow these steps:

Create a new feature flag: We'll create a new feature flag in our feature flag management system, which will control the availability of the organizations tab.
Configure the feature flag: We'll configure the feature flag to be enabled by default, but with a toggle that allows us to turn it off or on as needed.
Implement the feature flag: We'll implement the feature flag in our code, using a library or framework that supports feature flags.
Test the feature flag: We'll test the feature flag to ensure that it's working correctly and that the organizations tab is only visible to users who have the feature flag enabled.

Adding a Feature Flag for the Dashboard Banner

To add a feature flag for the dashboard banner, we'll need to follow these steps:

Create a new feature flag: We'll create a new feature flag in our feature flag management system, which will control the availability of the dashboard banner.
Configure the feature flag: We'll configure the feature flag to be enabled by default, but with a toggle that allows us to turn it off or on as needed.
Implement the feature flag: We'll implement the feature flag in our code, using a library or framework that supports feature flags.
Test the feature flag: We'll test the feature flag to ensure that it's working correctly and that the dashboard banner is only visible to users who have the feature flag enabled.

Benefits of Using Feature Flags

Using feature flags offers several benefits, including:

Improved Security: Feature flags allow us to control the availability of specific features or functionality, reducing the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches.
Enhanced User Experience: Feature flags enable us to test new features in a controlled environment, ensuring that they are stable and functional before making them available to all users.
Reduced Risk: By using feature flags, we can reduce the risk of introducing bugs or unintended consequences, ensuring a more stable and reliable user experience.

Conclusion

In conclusion, putting orgs entry points behind a feature flag is a crucial step in our ongoing efforts to improve the security and usability of our platform. By using feature flags, we can control the rollout of new features, test them in a controlled environment, and gather feedback from a select group of users before making them available to the broader user base. This approach enables us to reduce the risk of introducing bugs or unintended consequences, ensuring a more stable and reliable user experience.

Additional Resources

For more information on feature flags and how to implement them in your code, please refer to the following resources:

Epic on Notion: https://www.notion.so/safe-global/Org-onboarding-flow-1208180fe57380078591f5380a0c5d2a
Feature Flag Management System: Our feature flag management system is a powerful tool that allows us to control the availability of specific features or functionality on a per-user or per-environment basis.
Library or Framework: We use a library or framework that supports feature flags to implement feature flags in our code.

Future Work

In the future, we plan to continue improving our use of feature flags, including:

Implementing more feature flags: We'll continue to implement more feature flags to control the availability of specific features or functionality.
Testing and validation: We'll test and validate our feature flags to ensure that they're working correctly and that they're not introducing any bugs or unintended consequences.
Gathering feedback: We'll gather feedback from users and stakeholders to ensure that our feature flags are meeting their needs and expectations.
[Orgs] Put Orgs Entry Points Behind a Feature Flag: Q&A =====================================================

Introduction

In our previous article, we explored the process of putting orgs entry points behind a feature flag, a crucial step in our ongoing efforts to improve the security and usability of our platform. In this article, we'll answer some of the most frequently asked questions about feature flags and how they're used in our platform.

Q: What is a feature flag?

A: A feature flag is a software development technique that allows us to toggle the availability of specific features or functionality on a per-user or per-environment basis. By using feature flags, we can control the rollout of new features, test them in a controlled environment, and gather feedback from a select group of users before making them available to the broader user base.

Q: Why do we need feature flags?

A: We need feature flags to ensure that new features are properly gated and tested before being exposed to all users. This approach enables us to reduce the risk of introducing bugs or unintended consequences, ensuring a more stable and reliable user experience.

Q: How do feature flags work?

A: Feature flags work by creating a toggle that allows us to turn on or off specific features or functionality. When a feature flag is enabled, the corresponding feature or functionality is made available to users. When a feature flag is disabled, the corresponding feature or functionality is hidden from users.

Q: What are the benefits of using feature flags?

A: The benefits of using feature flags include:

Improved Security: Feature flags allow us to control the availability of specific features or functionality, reducing the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches.
Enhanced User Experience: Feature flags enable us to test new features in a controlled environment, ensuring that they are stable and functional before making them available to all users.
Reduced Risk: By using feature flags, we can reduce the risk of introducing bugs or unintended consequences, ensuring a more stable and reliable user experience.

Q: How do we implement feature flags in our code?

A: We use a library or framework that supports feature flags to implement feature flags in our code. This library or framework provides a set of APIs and tools that allow us to create, manage, and toggle feature flags.

Q: What is the process for adding a feature flag?

A: The process for adding a feature flag involves the following steps:

Create a new feature flag: We create a new feature flag in our feature flag management system, which will control the availability of the corresponding feature or functionality.
Configure the feature flag: We configure the feature flag to be enabled by default, but with a toggle that allows us to turn it off or on as needed.
Implement the feature flag: We implement the feature flag in our code, using the library or framework that supports feature flags.
Test the feature flag: We test the feature flag to ensure that it's working correctly and that the corresponding feature or functionality is only visible to users who have the feature flag enabled.

Q: How do we test feature flags?

A: We test feature flags by simulating different user scenarios and verifying that the corresponding feature or functionality is only visible to users who have the feature flag enabled. We also test feature flags by simulating different error scenarios and verifying that the corresponding feature or functionality is not visible to users who have the feature flag disabled.

Q: What is the future of feature flags in our platform?

A: In the future, we plan to continue improving our use of feature flags, including:

Implementing more feature flags: We'll continue to implement more feature flags to control the availability of specific features or functionality.
Testing and validation: We'll test and validate our feature flags to ensure that they're working correctly and that they're not introducing any bugs or unintended consequences.
Gathering feedback: We'll gather feedback from users and stakeholders to ensure that our feature flags are meeting their needs and expectations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, feature flags are a powerful tool that allows us to control the availability of specific features or functionality on a per-user or per-environment basis. By using feature flags, we can reduce the risk of introducing bugs or unintended consequences, ensuring a more stable and reliable user experience. We'll continue to improve our use of feature flags in the future, including implementing more feature flags, testing and validation, and gathering feedback from users and stakeholders.