Pipelines

Pipelines

Pipelines automate feature flag deployment across environments, ensuring controlled and repeatable rollout workflows.

Overview

Deployment pipelines define the promotion path for features from development through production. They enforce stage-based progression and integrate with approval workflows.

Pipeline Structure

A pipeline consists of ordered stages, each mapped to one or more environments:

Development → Staging → Production

Pipeline Configuration

Field	Description	Example
Pipeline Name	Unique identifier	"Standard Deployment"
Description	Pipeline purpose	"Dev → Staging → Prod workflow"
Stages	Ordered deployment stages	Development, Staging, Production
Environment Mapping	Which environments use each stage	Dev → dev, Staging → staging, Production → prod

Creating a Pipeline

1. Navigate to Pipelines → Create Pipeline
2. Enter pipeline name and description
3. Define stages in deployment order
4. Map each stage to environment(s)
5. Save the pipeline

Example Pipeline

Name: "Standard Release Pipeline"

Stages:

1. Development

   • Environments: dev, local
   • Purpose: Initial feature development and testing

2. Staging

   • Environments: staging, qa
   • Purpose: Pre-production validation and QA

3. Production

   • Environments: production
   • Purpose: Live user-facing deployment

Deploying Features

Promotion Workflow

1. Create Feature in early pipeline stage
2. Test and Validate in current environment
3. Promote to next pipeline stage
4. Submit for Approval (if policies configured)
5. Deployment after approval
6. Monitor feature performance

Promotion Methods

Manual Promotion:

1. Navigate to feature details
2. Click PROMOTE button
3. Select target stage
4. Submit for approval (if required)
5. Changes deploy after approval

Automated Promotion:

• Configure auto-promotion rules
• Time-based progression
• Metric-based triggers (e.g., success rate thresholds)

Pipeline States

Stage Status

Pending: Awaiting deployment or approval
Active: Currently deployed in this stage
Promoting: In progress to next stage
Failed: Deployment error occurred
Rolled Back: Reverted to previous version

Approval Integration

Pipelines integrate with approval policies to enforce governance:

• Development: No approval required (fast iteration)
• Staging: Peer review (1 approval)
• Production: Strict control (2 approvals)

See Approval Policies for configuration details.

Rollback

If issues arise, rollback to previous stage:

1. Open feature in problematic stage
2. Click ROLLBACK button
3. Confirm rollback action
4. Feature reverts to previous stage configuration

Auto-Rollback

Configure automatic rollback based on:

• Time: Revert after X hours
• Metrics: Trigger rollback if error rate exceeds threshold
• Manual Trigger: Emergency kill switch activation

Best Practices

Mirror Production: Make staging environment as close to production as possible

Test Thoroughly: Validate features completely before promoting

Small Changes: Promote incremental changes to minimize risk

Monitor Metrics: Watch analytics during and after promotion

Plan Rollbacks: Have rollback strategy before production deployment

Use Approval Policies: Enforce reviews for production changes

Document Promotions: Add notes explaining why features are promoted

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