OpenFeature - making feature flags a commodity

With the evolution of software delivery methods, feature flags became one of the ways to deliver features and get user feedback. Modern applications may have hundreds of feature flags describing customizations, preview features, and environment specifics. Feature flags are not just a single toggle anymore, their values are often determined at runtime depending on the instance, user context, and inputs from the control plane.

In this session, we will talk about OpenFeature - a new collaboration by many feature flag vendors and end users. OpenFeature, a CNCF sandbox project, is an open standard for feature flag management, created to support a robust feature flag ecosystem using cloud native technologies and to make feature flags a commodity. OpenFeature provides a unified API and SDKs, and a developer-first, cloud-native implementation, with extensibility for open-source and commercial offerings.

We will provide adoption examples from the open-source projects from the Java and Cloud Native ecosystems.

Transcript

1. Standardizing Feature Flagging for Everyone openfeature.dev Last updated: Aug 25, 2022 Data on Kubernetes Community Meetup
2. My first feature flag Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumper _%28computing%29 Jumper - a short length of conductor used to close, open or bypass part of an electronic circuit
3. > whoami • In open source since 2012 • Was doing feature flags before is was a mainstream • Dynatrace OSPO, ex. CloudBees/Synopsys/Intel • Wood chopper & water carrier in OpenFeature LibreCores
4. Dynatrace OSPO engineering.dynatrace.com/open-source
5. This talk • Feature Flags 101 • OpenFeature Introduction • Live Demo • What’s next? https://bit.ly/dokc-openfeature These slides
6. Feature Flags 101
7. Feature Flag Use-Cases • Preview Features • A/B testing • Progressive delivery • (?) Settings • … Classification: • Temporary or permanent • Runtime or not • Boolean, numeric, etc.
8. Example. GitHub
9. Example. Jenkins jenkins.io/doc/book/managing/system-properties or System.setProperty(name, value)
10. Example. Jenkins Not so temporary :)
11. Feature flags are NOT just tumblers Source: https://www.bennadel.com/blog/3612-vie wing-the-launchdarkly-feature-flag-evalu ation-process-as-a-pure-function.htm • Complex evaluation • Based on context ◦ user ◦ location/language ◦ instanceId, etc. ◦ control plane inputs ◦ user defined settings
12. There are [open-source] frameworks for it! • SDKs are usually open source • Technology-specific libraries • Services ◦ Flagsmith, Unleash, FeatureHub, GO Feature Flag, Flipt… Source: optimizely.com/insights/blog/manage-outdated-feature-flags
13. Feature Flagging ecosystem • Many SDKs solving essentially the same problem • SDKs are generally open source but have a limited ecosystem • Open Source projects cannot use existing SDKs, not vendor neutral • Vendor lock-in at the code-level • No solution fully utilizes cloud native capabilities • Missing integration with observability tools (e.g. OpenTelemetry)
14. https://xkcd.com/927/
15. So, what’s next?
16. Let’s build OpenTelemetry of Feature Flagging • Define an open standard, vendor-neutral specification • Develop a unified API and SDK • Provide a developer-first, cloud-native reference implementation • Support extensibility for commercial offerings (open core)
17. Proposed solution • Publish an open standard that allows new and existing feature flag solutions to become spec-compliant • Develop spec-compliant, vendor agnostic SDKs • Integrate with cloud native technologies, such as OpenTelemetery, allowing for enhanced distributed traces, metrics, and request scoped context • Provide a Kubernetes focused reference implementation
18. OpenFeature is an open standard for feature flag management, created to support a robust feature flag ecosystem using cloud native technologies. OpenFeature will provide a unified API and SDK, and a developer-first, cloud-native implementation, with extensibility for open source and commercial offerings. openfeature.dev
19. OpenFeature Idea dynatrace.com/news/blog/new-openfeat ure-standard-for-feature-flagging Local Open Feature manager
20. OpenFeature • Started in Feb 2022 by Dynatrace • Many founding companies - end users and vendors • 20+ interested companies by now • CNCF Sandbox Project https://github.com/open-feature/community/blob/ main/interested-parties.md
21. What’s inside? • Open Specification • Open Source SDKs for common technology stacks • FOSS reference implementations for control plane • Vendor-neutral community
22. Specification • https://github.com/open-feature/spec • Ready for evaluation • Pending research on details
23. OpenFeature SDKs Done/Preview: • Node.js • Java • Golang • .NET & .NET Framework In progress • Python Backlog: Ruby & Co github.com/orgs/open-feature/projects/1/views/8
24. Providers For OpenFeature
25. OpenFeature Providers • Split • CloudBees Feature Management • LaunchDarkly • Flagsmith • Go-feature-flag • flagD • … Demos: github.com/open-feature/playgroun d#demo-providers Providers roadmap: https://github.com/orgs/open-featur e/projects/2
26. Flagd - Simple generic daemon github.com/open-feature/flagd • OpenFeature sub-project • Implementation for demos and prototyping
27. Kubernetes-native Reference Implementation github.com/open-feature/open-feature-operator • K8s operator • Injects flagD sidecar
28. Native OpenTelemetry Support demo:github.com/open-feature/playground/blob/m ain/README.md#opentelemetry-integration
29. Demo time!
30. How to try? Find demos here: github.com/open-feature/playground Guided tour No Kubernetes today
31. Project state
32. February 2022 Define and contact stakeholders. Organize initial team. March 2022 Define the mission, governance, vision, initial scope, and architecture. May 2022 Announce the project at KubeCon EU. August 2022 Beta release with observability integrations. October 2022 Announce GA release at KubeCon US. Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Milestones Project Roadmap
33. Open Future of OpenFeature Now: • Outreach to potential contributors • Summarizing research results, spec drafts • Prototyping and reference implementations • Specification - Beta release Next: • Kubecon! • General Availability release Public Roadmap: github.com/orgs/open-feature/projects/2
34. Takeaways 1. OpenFeature grows fast, many vendors are onboard 2. OpenFeature is ready for evaluation 3. Try it out! github.com/open-feature/playground
35. Participate in OpenFeature! • Join our Slack • Join us for project meetings • Add yourself to Interested Parties • Develop SDKs • Share your feedback! github.com/open-feature/community
36. Links • Website: openfeature.dev • GitHub: github.com/open-feature • Specification: github.com/open-feature/spec • Community and Governance: github.com/open-feature/community • Project roadmap: github.com/orgs/open-feature/projects/2
37. QUESTIONS? openfeature.dev ! Join our Slack