Title

AWS re:Invent 2022 - Building and operating at scale with feature management (PRT261)

Summary

John Kodemal, CTO and co-founder of LaunchDarkly, discusses the importance of feature management in evolving software at scale.
He emphasizes that software is in a constant state of evolution due to changes in scale, user input, and business requirements.
Kodemal explains the difference between deployment and release, advocating for their separation using feature flags.
He provides insights into how LaunchDarkly uses feature flags to manage changes in their technology stack, including database migrations, compliance requirements, and cost optimizations.
The talk includes examples of how LaunchDarkly and its customers have successfully used feature management for application modernization, compliance, and performance improvements.
Kodemal concludes by reinforcing the idea that feature management is not just about user-facing features but is a critical tool for safely evolving backend systems.

Feature management is a transformative practice in software development, akin to the impact of distributed version control systems (DVCS) and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD).
The separation of deployment and release through feature flags allows for more controlled, incremental changes with reduced risk and the ability to roll back specific features without affecting others.
Feature flags can be used for more than just user interface changes; they are instrumental in backend operations, compliance adherence, and performance optimizations.
LaunchDarkly's approach to database migration from MongoDB to CockroachDB using feature flags is a practical example of managing complex transitions without downtime.
Compliance requirements, such as HIPAA and FedRAMP, can be managed within a single codebase using feature flags to enable or disable features for specific customer segments.
Cost and performance optimizations, such as migrating to AWS Graviton processors, can be tested and rolled out incrementally using feature flags, allowing for real-time traffic routing and monitoring.
The talk highlights the importance of feature management platforms in modern software development and the wide adoption across various industries, including non-traditional software companies.