Dynatrace Joins Forces With Technology Leaders to Launch OpenFeature, the New Standard for Feature Flagging and Management Solutions

Rhea-AI Summary

Dynatrace has announced the submission of OpenFeature to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation as a Sandbox project. This initiative, in partnership with notable technology leaders like LaunchDarkly and GitLab, aims to standardize feature flagging and management solutions. OpenFeature seeks to simplify integration for DevOps and SRE teams, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing vendor lock-in. This move aligns with industry demands for agility in software delivery, allowing teams to more easily implement and manage feature flags across various platforms.

Positive

• OpenFeature aims to standardize feature flagging, simplifying the integration into DevOps toolchains.
• Partnership with leading technology firms enhances credibility and potential adoption.
• The initiative addresses current inefficiencies in feature flagging tools, potentially improving operational efficiency for users.

Negative

• None.

Empowers teams to select their feature flagging and management solution of choice and automate this functionality at massive scale

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Software intelligence company Dynatrace announced today that it, along with a consortium of other technology leaders, has submitted OpenFeature to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) for consideration as a Sandbox project. The consortium includes Dynatrace, LaunchDarkly, GitLab Inc., Split, Flagsmith, and CloudBees.

Feature flagging and management solutions enable DevOps and SRE teams to turn application functionality on and off at runtime without deploying new code. This simplifies and accelerates the delivery of personalized experiences, A/B testing, and the mitigation of potential issues. This approach is essential for modern continuous delivery practices. However, individual teams within organizations often use a variety of feature flagging and management solutions, each with a unique, proprietary approach. This results in significant integration work and vendor lock-in.

OpenFeature will address these challenges by enabling teams to use any feature flagging or management solution that supports this standard without additional integration or re-architecting. In addition, by making it easier to integrate feature flagging and management into the DevOps toolchain, OpenFeature will allow Dynatrace customers to seamlessly extend answers and intelligent automation to feature-flag enabled applications at massive scale.

The need for a standard that simplifies approaches to feature flagging and management is underscored by companies in the consortium, as well as industry analysts:

“Feature flagging and management give development teams greater agility and confidence as they identify the most impactful features within their applications. Establishing this OpenFeature standard will allow teams to adopt the best solution more easily, without introducing new integration requirements. This creates a more frictionless user experience for DevOps and SRE teams and allows them to focus on delivering better software, faster.” — Daniel O'Brien, Ecosystem Engineer, LaunchDarkly

“Developers often experience friction resulting from managing a wide range of feature flagging and management tools. When teams are measured by release velocity and quality, and the automation of manual tasks, removing this friction is essential. OpenFeature enables a frictionless experience, which in turn enhances efficiency and the ability to iterate, aligning with two of GitLab’s core values.” — Brendan O’Leary, Staff Developer Evangelist, GitLab Inc.

“Currently, the extensive variety of approaches makes it difficult to configure and integrate feature flagging into a broader development toolchain and delivery pipeline. OpenFeature enables cloud-native teams to optimize the release of new features and embrace progressive delivery, along with other modern SRE and DevOps practices. At Dynatrace, we will natively embed this information into our Davis AIOps engine to help teams understand the impact of features on performance, resilience, and digital experience. By working with a consortium of industry leaders to create this new open standard, we are taking a big step to reduce complexity and free more time for innovators to deliver new and amazing digital experiences for their customers.” — Alois Reitbauer, CPO of Cloud Automation at Dynatrace

"Feature flagging is increasingly a strategic decision for technology organizations. Standards and open source drive innovation by commoditizing integration between platforms, enabling lower risk adoption and innovation. OpenFeature is set to have a significant impact on the landscape for software delivery tools and patterns, underpinning new cases such as Progressive Delivery." — James Governor, principal analyst at RedMonk

This announcement builds on Dynatrace’s existing leadership in open source initiatives, including Keptn, W3C trace-context, and OpenTelemetry, which enable organizations to more effectively drive large-scale automation.

Visit the Dynatrace blog for more details on OpenFeature.

About Dynatrace

Dynatrace (NYSE: DT) exists to make the world’s software work perfectly. Our unified software intelligence platform combines broad and deep observability and continuous runtime application security with the most advanced AIOps to provide answers and intelligent automation from data at enormous scale. This enables innovators to modernize and automate cloud operations, deliver software faster and more securely, and ensure flawless digital experiences. That is why the world’s largest organizations trust the Dynatrace® platform to accelerate digital transformation.

Curious to see how you can simplify your cloud and maximize the impact of your digital teams? Let us show you. Sign up for a free 15-day Dynatrace trial.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220519005286/en/

Meg Brenner

meg.brenner@dynatrace.com

Source: Dynatrace

FAQ

What is OpenFeature and its significance for Dynatrace (DT)?

OpenFeature is a standardized feature flagging and management solution submitted by Dynatrace to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, aimed at improving integration and efficiency for DevOps teams.

How does OpenFeature impact software delivery practices for Dynatrace (DT)?

OpenFeature is designed to enhance software delivery practices by reducing friction in integrating feature flagging tools, allowing teams to manage features more effectively without extensive integration work.

Who are the partners involved with Dynatrace (DT) in the OpenFeature initiative?

The OpenFeature initiative includes partners like LaunchDarkly, GitLab, Split, Flagsmith, and CloudBees, which collectively aim to create a unified approach to feature management.

When was OpenFeature submitted to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation?

OpenFeature was submitted to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation on May 19, 2022.

What problem does OpenFeature solve for DevOps and SRE teams related to Dynatrace (DT)?

OpenFeature addresses the challenge of managing diverse feature flagging solutions, helping teams avoid vendor lock-in and simplifying their deployment and operational processes.