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This PR replaces references to _addons_ in the docs with references to _integrations_. In doing so, I have also: - moved `/reference/addons` documents into `/reference/integrations` - combined the previous "Addons" and "Integrations" categories into a new "Integrations" category - added redirects from all the old addons pages to their new locations I have updated the wording, but have not changed things such as API paths, event names, etc, because these will not change at the moment (maybe a breaking change to schedule for v6?). --------- Co-authored-by: Tymoteusz Czech <2625371+Tymek@users.noreply.github.com>
58 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
58 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Feature Toggle Types
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---
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> This feature was introduced in _Unleash v3.5.0_.
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You can use feature toggles to support different use cases, each with their own specific needs. Heavily inspired by [Pete Hodgson's article on feature toggles](https://martinfowler.com/articles/feature-toggles.html), Unleash introduced the concept of feature toggle types in version `3.5.0`.
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A feature toggle's type affects only two things:
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1. It gives the toggle an appropriate icon
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2. The toggle's expected lifetime changes
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Aside from this, there are no differences between the toggle types and you can always change the type of a toggle after you have created it.
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Classifying feature toggles by their type makes it easier for you manage them: the toggles get different icons in the toggle list and you can sort the toggles by their types.
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A toggle's type also helps Unleash understand the [toggle's expected lifetime](#expected-lifetimes).
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## Feature toggle types
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Here's the list of the feature toggle types that Unleash supports together with their intended use case and expected lifetime:
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| Feature toggle type | Used to ... | Expected lifetime |
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|---------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|
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| Release | Enable trunk-based development for teams practicing Continuous Delivery. | 40 days |
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| Experiment | Perform multivariate or A/B testing. | 40 days |
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| Operational | Control operational aspects of the system's behavior. | 7 days |
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| Kill switch | Gracefully degrade system functionality. You can read about [kill switch best practices](https://www.getunleash.io/blog/kill-switches-best-practice) on our blog. | Permanent |
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| Permission | Change the features or product experience that certain users receive. | Permanent |
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### Expected lifetimes
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:::info
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The ability to update a feature toggle type's expected lifetime is currently in development. We expect to release it in one of the upcoming releases.
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:::
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A feature toggle's expected lifetime is an indicator of how long Unleash expects toggles of that type to be around. Some feature toggles are meant to live for a few weeks as you work on new functionality, while others stick around for much longer. As a part of good code hygiene, you should clean up your feature toggles when they have served their purpose. This is further explored in the document on [technical debt](technical-debt.md).
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Each feature toggle type in Unleash has an assigned expected lifetime, after which the system will consider this feature _potentially stale_. The reasoning behind each type's expected lifetime is detailed in this [blog post on best practices for feature toggle lifetimes](https://www.getunleash.io/blog/feature-toggle-life-time-best-practices).
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Unleash admins can change the expected lifetime of Unleash's feature types from the Unleash configuration menu.
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## Deprecating feature toggles {#deprecate-a-feature-toggle}
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You can mark feature toggles as `stale`. This is a way to deprecate a feature toggle without removing the active configuration for connected applications. Use this to signal that you should stop using the feature in your applications. Stale toggles will show as stale in the ["technical debt dashboard"](technical-debt.md).
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When you mark a toggle as stale, Unleash will emit an event. You can use [an integration](integrations/integrations.md) to integrate this with your systems, for instance to post a message in a Slack channel.
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Additionally, with some extra work, you can also use the `stale` property to:
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- Inform developers that a toggle is stale _while_ they're developing.
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- Break a project build if the code contains stale feature toggles.
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- Send automatic PRs to remove usage of toggles that have served their purpose.
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