Comparison
Ephemeral environmentvsFeature flag
Ephemeral environment
opening the pull request created a whole running copy at its own URL, and merging it destroyed the copy.
A full environment created per branch or pull request and torn down when it is no longer needed. It removes the shared staging queue and lets non-engineers look at a change before it merges, which is usually its highest-value property. It requires the whole stack to be genuinely reproducible from code, including data seeding, which is why it is a good forcing function and a lot of work.
Full entry →Feature flag
you ship the code turned off, switch it on for yourself, then for one percent, then for everyone.
A runtime switch controlling whether a code path is active. It separates release from deploy, enables gradual rollout, and gives you an instant off switch that does not require a deploy. Flags are debt: every one is a branch to test and understand, so each needs an owner and a removal date.
Full entry →