Serverless Tip #9: Use AWS AppConfig Feature Flags to release new features safely

Deployment and release are different things. Deployment should be a technical decision while releasing is a business decision.

Deployments should be repeatable and automated. Consider deploying often, even code for features you are still working on. To do so, you’ll need to be able to turn off features that are not ready for customer use.

AWS AppConfig allows you to hide features in your Lambda Functions behind feature flags. You can toggle flags to enable features without redeploying your functions when the business is ready.

Feature flags allow you to roll out new functionality to your customers gradually. It lets you limit the blast radius if something goes wrong. You could segment your customers by, for example, geography or alpha/beta groups.

AppConfig can also roll back your feature flags immediately if telemetry shows the new feature is causing increased errors.

Stay safe and deploy often!