Flagsmith Submits OpenFeature as CNCF Sandbox Project | Flagsmith

Today, Feature Flags are an integral part of modern software delivery. However, feature flag solutions currently use their own proprietary SDK’s with frameworks, definitions, and data/event-types unique to their platform alone. Because each is unique, challenges within teams looking to leverage these platforms and/or integrate them to other tools encounter issues with:

1) Having to re-architect from scratch if switching from one feature flag platform to another,
2) Lack of consistency in SDK if an organization has more than one feature flag platform, and
3) Integrating feature flagging with other aspects of software delivery such as observability, automated testing, and analytics is a point-to-point exercise, requiring unique solutions for each combination of frameworks.

Standardizing feature flag management allows organizations to confidently and easily get started using feature flags, knowing that a vendor-neutral SDK helps them avoid lock-in, enabling them to focus on building great software.

OpenFeature resolves this issue as open standard for feature flag management, created to support a robust feature flag ecosystem using cloud native technologies. 

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What will the common standard be like?

OpenFeature will provide a unified API, implemented by SDKs in various languages. 

Feature-flagging platforms (both commercial or open-source frameworks) will implement providers which integrate into the OpenFeature SDK, allowing developers and framework authors to depend upon a single standard API for flag evaluation across every tech stack and every flag management platform.

This is a massive improvement to the industry and we couldn't be happier to be joined by the following contributing members:

• Canonical
• Cisco 
• Cloudbees
• Dynatrace (PR and blog ok)
• eBay
• Flagsmith
• Google
• GitLab
• Gusto
• Harness
• LaunchDarkly
• Liquid Reply
• SAP
• Split
• Unleash

More Reading

- Learn more about OpenFeature or become a contributor, visit the Github repo: https://github.com/open-feature/community/blob/main/interested-parties.md‍

- Learn more about Flagsmith's partnership with OpenFeature (and how to use the OpenFeature provider)

- Not a developer? Check out the project's website: openfeature.dev

- The full Press Release from Dynatrace here: https://www.dynatrace.com/news/blog/new-openfeature-standard-for-feature-flagging/