Which feature flag provider should we choose?

Use OpenFeature to avoid lock-in. If you need enterprise targeting and audit now, LaunchDarkly is solid. If you want open-source and can operate it, Unleash works well. The key is flag metadata (owner/TTL/ticket), kill switches, and SDK availability. Governance matters more than the vendor.

How do we handle database changes with canaries?

Use expand/migrate/contract. Add columns/tables in a backward-compatible way, deploy the new code path behind a flag, dual-write if needed, backfill, then flip reads via the flag. Only drop old columns once the flag is 100% and logs show no access.

What if we don’t have Istio?

Argo Rollouts works with NGINX Ingress and service meshes. Start with NGINX stable/canary services and traffic splits. You can add mesh later if you need per-request routing or mTLS.

How fast can we see DORA improvements?

Teams typically see CFR and MTTR drop within 2–4 weeks once canaries and kill switches are enforced. Lead time improves as soon as you stop batching—often within the first sprint.

Release-engineering · Oct 3, 2025 · 10 minute read

Progressive Delivery With a Spine: Feature Flags, Canaries, and Blue/Green With Real Governance

Stop betting the business on a Friday night deploy. Stand up progressive delivery that moves DORA metrics in the right direction—and survives audits.

Jordan Blake

Principal Release Engineer, GitPlumbers

20 years across web, fintech, and infra. Ex-Netflix platform, ex-Stripe release tooling. Ships boring pipelines that survive audits and reorgs.

Ship more, page less. Progressive delivery with policy beats heroics every day ending in y.

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Progressive Delivery With a Spine: Feature Flags, Canaries, and Blue/Green With Real Governance

Key takeaways

Implementation checklist