Feature flags (also known as feature toggles) allow you to control access to specific features in your application. ShipThing provides a simple but powerful feature flag system that can be used to:
  • Roll out features gradually to users
  • A/B test new functionality
  • Enable/disable features based on user segments
  • Control access to beta or experimental features

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How it works

ShipThing implements feature flags using Vercel’s Flags SDK, which is mostly an architectural pattern for working with feature flags. This setup exists in the @repo/feature-flags package, so you can import and use it in as many projects as you’d like. We’ve created an intelligent function called createFlag that you can use to create new flags, complete with authentication, PostHog integration and Vercel Toolbar overrides without the hassle.
For FLAGS_SECRET, you can run node -e "console.log(crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('base64url'))" or openssl rand -base64 32 in your terminal to generate a random value.

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Adding a new flag

To add a new flag, simply create a feature flag in PostHog and then modify the feature flags index file. Let’s add a new flag called showAnalyticsFeature that will be enabled for all users:
packages/feature-flags/index.ts
import { createFlag } from './lib/create-flag';

export const showBetaFeature = createFlag('showBetaFeature');
export const showAnalyticsFeature = createFlag('showAnalyticsFeature');
Make sure the key you’re using matches the key in PostHog exactly.

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Usage in your application

To use the flag in your application, simply import it from the @repo/feature-flags package and use it like a normal boolean value.
page.tsx
import { showAnalyticsFeature } from '@repo/feature-flags';
import { notFound } from 'next/navigation';

export default function Page() {
  const isEnabled = showAnalyticsFeature();

  if (!isEnabled) {
    notFound();
  }

  return <div>Analytics feature is enabled</div>;
}
Because feature flags are tied to the user, they only work if the user is signed in. Otherwise, the flag will always return false.

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Overriding flags in development

You can override flags in development by using the Vercel Toolbar. Simply open the toolbar by clicking the “Flag” icon in the top right and then selecting the flag you’d like to override.
Vercel Toolbar