Table of Contents

• Introduction
• What is Unleash and why does it stand out?
• Hands-on
• Resources of the Paid Plan
• Conclusion

Introduction

For companies where production failures directly impact the business, control over feature activation is essential. Unleash was created to provide governance, security, and agility in feature releases. It allows changes to be activated instantly or progressively, with configurable rules to meet the specific needs of each organization.

In this article, we will explore how Unleash has become the choice for organizations operating under constant pressure and how it can be the key to efficient production control, ensuring stability and predictability in dynamic environments.

What is Unleash and why does it stand out?

Unleash is a feature flag management platform that stands out for being open source, flexible, and robust. It can be hosted in the cloud, self-hosted, or in a hybrid environment, and offers SDKs for various languages, such as Python, Java, Node, and .NET, making it easy to integrate with different technology stacks.

The platform incorporates governance and compliance, with granular permissions, separate environments, and native auditing, ensuring compliance with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), and SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2, a security and compliance framework created by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants). This makes it a safe choice for companies that need to meet strict security and privacy standards.

The solution is widely adopted by major companies and institutions, such as Allianz, VISA, 1Password, Samsung, Blue Origin, TELUS, Lloyds Bank, Docker, and the Government of Norway, among others, proving its effectiveness and reliability in critical environments:

Hands-on

Unleash simplifies the process of activating or deactivating features, eliminating the need for redeploys. With an intuitive interface, it is possible to create new feature flags, define segmentation rules, and observe the effects in real-time on the integrated application. This practical and efficient approach reduces risks and increases team confidence during the feature release process.

Installation

Open the terminal and type the commands below to install via Docker container:

Login

Open your browser and type in the address bar: localhost:4242

Login credentials are:

• username: admin
• password: unleash4all

API Access Token Registration

In the sidebar, go to the “API access” option and create a token named api_token with access restricted to the development environment.

Copy the token provided in the confirmation message.

Feature Toggle Creation

In the sidebar, go to the “Projects” option and click the “Create flag” button.

Now, provide the name and description of the feature toggle.

Demonstration

Below is a demonstration of using the created feature toggle via backend (API). The goal here is to mask the CPF (similar to the U.S. Social Security Number - SSN, used for taxes and official transactions in Brazil) if the feature toggle is enabled.

Resources of the Paid Plan

The Unleash paid plan includes features designed for scalability, governance, and enterprise-grade integration. Key capabilities include:

• Advanced segmentation: target features based on custom attributes like user ID, location, or user role.

• Role-based access control (RBAC): assign permissions by team or role to secure feature flag management.

• Isolated environments: manage development, staging, and production separately with full configuration isolation.

• Integrations and webhooks: connect Unleash with tools like Slack, Datadog, Prometheus, and internal systems.

• Audit logs and reporting: track all changes with complete audit trails.

• SLA-backed support: get priority assistance and uptime guarantees.

These features are ideal for teams that require stricter control, traceability, and automation when managing feature flags.

Conclusion

Unleash is a tool that combines simplicity and robustness, allowing development teams to have full control over feature releases. Its free version already meets many needs, but the paid plan expands possibilities with advanced features that offer even more security and customization.

And you, have you heard of Unleash or do you prefer another solution to manage feature toggles? If this article was helpful, share it with your colleagues and friends. Let’s improve best practices for agile and secure development together!