How to integrate feature flags into your CI/CD pipeline for safer, faster releases

CI/CD pipelines have transformed how teams build, test, and deploy software, enabling faster releases and reducing human errors. But even with automated testing and staged rollouts, deployments can still introduce risk—a buggy feature might slip through, requiring an urgent rollback.

That’s where feature flags come in. By decoupling feature releases from deployments, feature flags give teams control over when and how new features go live. Instead of exposing a feature to all users immediately, you can:

• Deploy continuously
• Gradually roll out features to specific users or segments
• Instantly disable faulty features without rolling back code
• Run A/B tests, canary releases, and controlled experiments safely

When integrated into your CI/CD pipeline, feature flags enhance automation, reduce deployment risk, and make releases more flexible. This guide will show you how to seamlessly incorporate feature flags into your CI/CD workflow, step by step.

What we’ll cover:

• Why integrating feature flags with CI/CD is a game-changer
• How feature flags fit into each stage of the CI/CD pipeline
• A step-by-step guide to implementing feature flags in CI/CD
• Best practices for using feature flags effectively
• Common pitfalls to avoid when using feature flags in CI/CD

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a clear roadmap for integrating feature flags into your deployment strategy—allowing you to ship features faster, with less risk.

Why integrate feature flags with CI/CD?

CI/CD pipelines automate software delivery, ensuring that new code is built, tested, and deployed efficiently. However, they do not eliminate the risks associated with feature releases. Even with thorough testing and staged deployments, a new feature can introduce bugs, performance issues, or unexpected user experience problems.

Feature flags add a layer of flexibility by allowing teams to separate deployments from feature releases. Instead of making every new update immediately available to all users, feature flags give teams precise control over who can access a feature and when it goes live.

Here’s why integrating feature flags into your CI/CD pipeline is a smart move:

• Merge and deploy code faster – Developers can push incomplete or experimental features without breaking production, as the feature remains hidden behind a flag.
• Reduce rollback risks – If a new feature causes issues, it can be disabled instantly without rolling back the entire deployment.
• Enable gradual rollouts – Features can be introduced in phases, starting with internal teams, beta users, or a small percentage of traffic before a full release.
• Improve testing in production – A/B tests, canary releases, and controlled experiments can be managed without additional deployments.
• Minimize deployment anxiety – Instead of waiting for the perfect moment to ship a feature, teams can deploy continuously and control activation independently.

By integrating feature flags into your CI/CD workflow, you gain more control over feature releases, reduce the risk of deployment failures, and make software delivery more agile.

In the next section, we’ll explore how feature flags fit into each stage of the CI/CD process.

How feature flags fit into CI/CD workflows

Feature flags do more than just provide an extra layer of control—they fundamentally change how teams approach software releases. Instead of treating deployments as high-risk events, feature flags turn deployments into a low-stakes, continuous process. Code can be deployed at any time, while features remain inactive until they are intentionally enabled.

Here’s how feature flags fit into each stage of a CI/CD pipeline:

1. Pre-deployment (continuous integration stage)

• Developers merge new features into the main branch without worrying about breaking production.
• New or incomplete features are wrapped in feature flags, ensuring they remain inactive until they are ready for release.
• This approach reduces the need for long-lived feature branches and minimizes merge conflicts.

2. Deployment (continuous deployment stage)

• Code is automatically deployed to staging or production, but flagged features remain off by default.
• Teams can release updates more frequently without exposing unfinished work to users.
• Feature flags act as a safeguard, allowing teams to separate deployment from feature activation.

3. Post-deployment (monitoring and iteration)

• Once the deployment is complete, teams can gradually enable new features using feature flags.
• Rollouts can be controlled based on user segments, geographic regions, or other criteria.
• If an issue arises, the feature can be disabled instantly without requiring a rollback or emergency fix.

This workflow shifts the focus from deploying a feature to enabling a feature. Instead of delaying a release until everything is perfect, teams can deploy continuously and activate features strategically when they are ready.

In the next section, we’ll walk through a step-by-step guide to integrating feature flags into your CI/CD pipeline.

Step-by-step guide to integrating feature flags with CI/CD

Now that we’ve covered why feature flags are valuable in CI/CD, let’s go through the practical steps to integrate them into your workflow. Whether you’re just getting started or optimizing an existing setup, this guide will help you seamlessly incorporate feature flags into your deployment process.

1. Choose a feature flag management tool

While you can implement feature flags manually using environment variables or config files, a dedicated feature flagging tool like Tggl provides more flexibility, better visibility, and built-in controls.

A feature flag management platform allows you to:

• Enable or disable features without redeploying code.
• Manage rollout strategies, including gradual rollouts and user targeting.
• Track flag usage and remove outdated flags easily.

2. Implement feature flags in your codebase

To integrate feature flags, wrap feature logic inside conditional statements. Here’s an example using Tggl in a JavaScript application:

if (tggl.get('new-dashboard', false)) {
  renderNewDashboard();
} else {
  renderOldDashboard();
}

This ensures that the new dashboard only appears if the flag is enabled, giving teams the flexibility to toggle it on or off at any time.

3. Configure your CI/CD pipeline to use feature flags

Once your codebase includes feature flags, your CI/CD pipeline needs to be set up to deploy code while keeping flagged features inactive.

• During the build phase – Ensure feature-flagged code is included in the build but remains disabled by default.
• At deployment – Deploy your application as usual. The flagged feature will be present in the codebase but will not be live.
• Post-deployment activation – Use your feature flag management tool to control when the feature is enabled and who gets access.

4. Set up gradual rollouts and experimentation

Instead of launching a feature to all users immediately, use progressive rollouts:

• Start with internal testing – Enable the feature for developers and QA teams.
• Expand to beta users – Release to a controlled group of early adopters.
• Scale up gradually – Increase exposure based on user behavior, error rates, and performance data.

With Tggl, you can define rollout rules based on user attributes, location, or traffic percentage, giving you fine-grained control over feature releases.

5. Monitor and iterate

After enabling a feature, continuously monitor its impact. Track:

• Performance metrics – Is the feature affecting load times or server response?
• Error rates – Are there unexpected crashes or failures?
• User feedback – Are users engaging with the feature as expected?

If anything goes wrong, you can instantly disable the feature, preventing downtime or negative user experiences—without rolling back the entire deployment.

By following these steps, you can integrate feature flags into your CI/CD pipeline seamlessly, reducing risk and making deployments more flexible.

In the next section, we’ll look at best practices for managing feature flags effectively.

Best practices for using feature flags in CI/CD

Integrating feature flags into your CI/CD pipeline is powerful, but without the right approach, they can introduce technical debt and operational complexity. To maximize the benefits while keeping your system manageable, follow these best practices.

1. Keep feature flags temporary when possible

Feature flags should be used for gradual rollouts, experiments, and temporary toggles, not as long-term conditional logic. Once a flag has served its purpose, remove it from the codebase to prevent unnecessary clutter.

• Review flags regularly to identify outdated ones.
• Set expiration dates or track stale flags in your feature flagging tool.
• Automate cleanup using scripts to remove unused flags.

2. Establish a naming convention

Clear and consistent flag names help teams understand what each flag does at a glance. Instead of vague names like feature_1, use descriptive names like:

• enable_checkout_v2 – For a new checkout flow
• experiment_search_algorithm – For an A/B test on search results

This makes it easier to track which flags are active and why they exist.

3. Use granular access control

Not everyone should be able to modify feature flags in production. Use role-based access controls to restrict changes based on team responsibilities:

• Developers – Can create and manage feature flags in staging environments.
• Product managers – Can enable or disable features for targeted users.
• Engineering leads – Have final approval for changes in production.

4. Document feature flags properly

Each feature flag should have:

1. A clear owner – Who is responsible for reviewing and removing it?
2. A description – What does the flag do, and when should it be removed?
3. An expected removal date – Flags should not remain indefinitely.

Tools like Tggl allow you to assign ownership and track flag lifecycle status.

5. Regularly clean up stale flags

If feature flags aren’t removed after their purpose is served, they add unnecessary complexity to the codebase. Set a policy to:

• Audit feature flags every sprint to check for inactive ones.
• Automatically disable flags that haven’t been toggled in months.
• Remove code references for flags that are fully rolled out.

6. Combine feature flags with monitoring

Feature flags don’t replace observability. Use logging and monitoring tools to track flagged features in production. This ensures you can detect performance issues or errors early.

• Log feature flag usage to see how often they are triggered.
• Monitor error rates after enabling a new feature.
• Track user engagement with A/B testing tools.

7. Test feature-flagged code thoroughly

A feature flag might be off during initial testing, but it still needs full test coverage. Ensure that:

• The feature works as expected when the flag is enabled.
• The application still functions correctly when the flag is disabled.
• The feature flag logic doesn’t cause performance slowdowns.

By following these best practices, teams can keep feature flag usage under control, reduce tech debt, and maintain a clean deployment process.

In the next section, we’ll explore common pitfalls to avoid when using feature flags in CI/CD.

Common pitfalls to avoid when using feature flags in CI/CD

Feature flags can streamline deployments, reduce risk, and enable controlled rollouts, but if not managed properly, they can introduce technical debt and operational headaches. Here are some common mistakes teams make—and how to avoid them.

1. Treating feature flags as permanent solutions

Feature flags are meant to be temporary. Keeping old flags in your codebase indefinitely leads to:

• Code complexity – Developers have to navigate unnecessary conditional logic.
• Higher maintenance costs – Legacy flags make debugging and refactoring harder.
• Potential security risks – Unused flags can accidentally be reactivated.

2. Relying on feature flags without a rollback plan

Turning off a feature flag can prevent a bad release, but some changes (like database migrations or API updates) can’t simply be toggled off.

3. Granting too many people access to production flags

Without access controls, anyone on the team could enable or disable critical features, leading to unexpected behavior in production.

4. Not tracking flag usage

If you’re not monitoring feature flags, you lose visibility into:

• Which flags are still active
• How flags are affecting users and system performance
• When a flag is ready to be retired

5. Leaving unused flags in the codebase

Every unused flag adds unnecessary complexity. If a flag has been enabled for all users for more than a few sprints, it’s time to remove it.

6. Not testing feature-flagged code properly

Just because a feature flag is off during testing doesn’t mean you can ignore it.

By avoiding these pitfalls, teams can keep feature flag usage manageable, reduce tech debt, and maintain a clean CI/CD pipeline.

In the next section, we’ll wrap up with key takeaways and how to get started with feature flags in CI/CD.

Conclusion

Integrating feature flags into your CI/CD pipeline gives you more control over releases, reduces deployment risks, and makes rollouts more flexible. Instead of treating deployments as high-stakes events, teams can deploy continuously and decide when (and for whom) a feature goes live.

By following a structured approach, you can maximize the benefits of feature flags while avoiding common pitfalls:

• Use a dedicated feature flag management tool to simplify rollout strategies.
• Keep feature flags temporary to avoid accumulating unnecessary technical debt.
• Implement access controls to prevent unauthorized changes in production.
• Monitor feature flag usage to track performance and impact.
• Regularly clean up stale flags to maintain a clean codebase.

With the right strategy, feature flags don’t just make releases safer—they also enable experimentation, progressive rollouts, and instant rollbacks, giving teams more confidence in their deployment process.

If you’re looking for a feature flag solution that integrates seamlessly with your CI/CD pipeline, Tggl makes it easy to manage flags, automate rollouts, and track changes—all without adding complexity to your workflow.