AWS AppConfig flags are boolean and uniform per environment; percentage rollout is app-side

TL;DR: Use AppConfig deployment strategies (Linear, Exponential, Canary) for the gradual part that AppConfig does own: rolling the configuration out across targets with bake periods. Do not model AppConfig flags as percentage rollouts; the flag value is true or false for the whole environment. If you need a gradual user ramp, combine the boolean flag with your own bucketing logic in the app, or pair AppConfig with a dedicated experimentation system.

Fix

1. Use AppConfig deployment strategies (Linear, Exponential, Canary) for the gradual part that AppConfig does own: rolling the configuration out across targets with bake periods. Expected: this specific failure stops.

Details

Do not model AppConfig flags as percentage rollouts; the flag value is true or false for the whole environment. If you need a gradual user ramp, combine the boolean flag with your own bucketing logic in the app, or pair AppConfig with a dedicated experimentation system. AppConfig feature flags are BOOLEAN and UNIFORM per environment; the platform has no native percentage rollout. A gradual user ramp requires application-side logic or a separate system reading the flag.

When to use

You hit exactly this: AWS AppConfig flags are boolean and uniform per environment; percentage rollout is app-side in AWS.

When not to use

A different error, or the same symptom in a different tool. This page only covers the failure above.

Compatibility

AWS.

Edge cases

• Context from the original thread: Architecture notes (dpacgdm/system-design, feature flags and progressive delivery): documents the AppConfig gotcha that trips agents building percentage rollouts.

Issue: AWS AppConfig flags are boolean and uniform per environment; percentage rollout is app-side Asked: Architecture notes (dpacgdm/system-design, feature flags and progressive delivery): documents the AppConfig gotcha that trips agents building percentage rollouts. AppConfig feature flags are BOOLEAN and UNIFORM per environment; the platform has no native percentage rollout. A gradual user ramp requires application-side logic or a separate system reading the flag. Verified resolution: Do not model AppConfig flags as percentage rollouts; the flag value is true or false for the whole environment. If you need a gradual user ramp, combine the boolean flag with your own bucketing logic in the app, or pair AppConfig with a dedicated experimentation system. Use AppConfig deployment strategies (Linear, Exponential, Canary) for the gradual part that AppConfig does own: rolling the configuration out across targets with bake periods. Source: https://github.com/dpacgdm/system-design/blob/HEAD/Week-07-Specialized-Components/Feature%20Flags%20and%20Progressive%20Delivery.md