Creating and managing progressive rollouts

Overview

This topic explains how to create and manage progressive rollouts to release new features incrementally.

Create a progressive rollout

You can create a progressive rollout on any flag targeting rule if there are no active progressive rollouts, guarded rollouts, or experiments on the flag, and the flag is not a migration flag. You must have a role with permission to update flag rules. The LaunchDarkly Project Admin, Maintainer, and Developer project roles, as well as the Writer, Admin, and Owner base roles, include this permission.

To create a progressive rollout:

1. Navigate to the flag’s Targeting tab.
2. Find the targeting rule where you want to add a progressive rollout and click Edit.

3. From the Serve menu, select “Progressive rollout.” If another progressive rollout or guarded rollout exists on the flag, or if an experiment is running, this option is disabled.

4. Select a context kind from the Target by menu.

   • When adding a progressive rollout to the default rule, you can choose any context kind.
   • When adding a progressive rollout to a targeting rule, choose the same context kind used in the targeting rule to avoid unexpected targeting behavior.

5. Adjust the percentage of traffic and the duration of each step if needed. LaunchDarkly displays a default rollout schedule.

6. Click Review and save.

7. Choose reviewers from the Request approval menu if your environment requires approvals.

8. Enter a comment if your environment requires comments.

9. Enter the environment name or key to confirm

10. Click Save changes.

The progressive rollout starts as soon as you save. It continues until it completes the schedule you configured. To learn how to stop a rollout before it finishes, read Stop a progressive rollout below.

View progress of a progressive rollout

When a progressive rollout is active, a progress icon appears on the Flags list.

To view progress, navigate to the flag’s Targeting tab. LaunchDarkly displays the rollout steps on the targeting rule.

You cannot edit a targeting rule that is part of an active rollout.

When a progressive rollout completes, LaunchDarkly sends an email notification to the member who started the rollout and to any members who follow the flag.

Stop a progressive rollout

To stop a progressive rollout:

1. Navigate to the flag’s Targeting tab.
2. Find the targeting rule with the active progressive rollout.
3. Click Stop.

4. In the “Stop progressive rollout” dialog choose whether to serve the Current percentage or a specific variation.

   • Choose a specific variation to serve that variation to all traffic for this rule.
   • Choose Current percentage to continue serving a percentage rollout. LaunchDarkly reallocates traffic using standard percentage rollout logic. Individuals who received one variation during the progressive rollout may receive a different variation after the rollout stops. The overall distribution of traffic across variations remains at the current levels.

5. Click Next.

6. Review the changes you are making to the rule.

7. Choose reviewers from the Request approval menu if your environment requires approvals.

8. Enter a comment if your environment requires comments.

9. Enter the environment name or key to confirm

10. Click Save changes.

When a progressive rollout stops, LaunchDarkly sends an email notification to the member who started the rollout and to any members who follow the flag.