# Flipt — Git-Native Open-Source Feature Flag Management

> Flipt is a self-hosted, open-source feature flag platform that stores flag configuration in Git, supports boolean and multi-variate flags with percentage rollouts, and provides client SDKs for Go, Python, Node.js, Java, Ruby, and Rust.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Flipt — Git-Native Open-Source Feature Flag Management

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install Flipt
curl -fsSL https://get.flipt.io/install | bash
# Start the server
flipt
# Open http://localhost:8080 for the UI
# Or use the CLI to create a flag
flipt flag create --key my-feature --name "My Feature" --enabled
# Evaluate from your app
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/evaluate/v1/boolean 
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" 
  -d '{"flagKey":"my-feature","entityId":"user-123","context":{}}'
```

## Introduction
Flipt provides feature flag management without SaaS dependencies. It stores flag definitions in a local database or directly in Git repositories, enabling GitOps-driven feature rollouts where flag changes go through pull requests and code review.

## What Flipt Does
- Manages boolean and multi-variate feature flags with a web UI and REST/gRPC API
- Supports percentage-based rollouts, segment targeting, and rule-based evaluation
- Stores flag configuration natively in Git for version control and audit trails
- Provides client SDKs and an OpenFeature provider for standardized evaluation
- Runs as a single binary with minimal resource requirements

## Architecture Overview
Flipt is a single Go binary that serves a web UI, REST API, and gRPC API. Flag state can be stored in SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, or CockroachDB. In Git mode, Flipt reads flag definitions from YAML files in a Git repository, polling for changes. The evaluation engine processes flag requests locally with sub-millisecond latency.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Single binary or Docker image with embedded SQLite for zero-dependency startup
- Supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, and CockroachDB for production database backends
- Git backend reads flag YAML from any Git repository with configurable poll intervals
- Authentication supports static tokens, OIDC, and Kubernetes service accounts
- Prometheus metrics endpoint and OpenTelemetry tracing for observability

## Key Features
- Git-native flag storage enables GitOps workflows with PR-based flag changes
- Sub-millisecond local evaluation with no external network calls during flag checks
- OpenFeature provider for vendor-neutral integration across multiple feature flag tools
- Namespaces for organizing flags across teams and environments
- Audit log tracks every flag change with user, timestamp, and before/after state

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **LaunchDarkly** — Commercial SaaS with per-seat pricing; Flipt is free, self-hosted, and unlimited
- **Unleash** — Open-source but uses database-only storage; Flipt adds native Git backend for GitOps
- **Flagsmith** — Open-source with remote evaluation; Flipt evaluates locally for lower latency
- **PostHog Feature Flags** — Bundled with analytics; Flipt is a focused, lightweight flag service
- **OpenFeature** — A specification, not a product; Flipt implements OpenFeature as one of its SDKs

## FAQ
**Q: Does Flipt require a database?**
A: No. Flipt can run with an embedded SQLite database or read flag definitions directly from Git with no database at all.

**Q: How does the Git backend work?**
A: Flipt polls a Git repository for YAML flag definition files. Changes pushed to the repo are picked up automatically without restarts.

**Q: What is the evaluation latency?**
A: Evaluation happens locally within the Flipt server process, typically under 1ms for boolean and segment-based flags.

**Q: Can Flipt handle percentage rollouts?**
A: Yes. Flipt supports percentage-based distribution rules that consistently assign entities to flag variants using hashing.

## Sources
- https://github.com/flipt-io/flipt
- https://www.flipt.io/docs

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/fc1b5cd9-39c9-11f1-9bc6-00163e2b0d79
Author: AI Open Source