Technical Glossary
Feature Flags (Feature Toggles)
Exact Definition
Feature flags are configuration switches that enable or disable specific application features at runtime without deploying new code — enabling trunk-based development, gradual rollouts, A/B testing, and instant rollback of problematic features.
Architectural Deep Dive
In large ERP teams, deploying untested features to all users simultaneously is risky. Feature flags allow features to be deployed in a 'dark' state, then gradually enabled for specific user segments (e.g., beta customers, specific tenant IDs). If a bug is detected, the flag is toggled off in seconds — no code redeployment required. Feature flags are a prerequisite for continuous deployment in regulated environments where rollback capability must be demonstrated.
The ERPStack Approach
We implement feature flag infrastructure using LaunchDarkly or open-source Unleash, integrated with our PostgreSQL tenant tables so flags can be enabled per-customer with zero code changes.