BE-033 — Implement Backend Feature Flag & Configuration Management Service

[dDevAhmed]

BE-033 — Implement Backend Feature Flag & Configuration Management Service

📚 Overview

The Backend Feature Flag & Configuration Management Service provides a centralised mechanism for controlling backend behaviour without requiring code deployments. It enables administrators to safely roll out new functionality, perform staged releases, conduct A/B testing, quickly disable problematic features, and manage runtime configuration across all TruthBounty backend services.

The service becomes the single source of truth for runtime configuration and feature availability throughout the backend ecosystem.

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🧠 Background

TruthBounty consists of numerous interconnected backend services supporting protocol operations, analytics, notifications, governance, reputation, integrations, and administration.

Without centralised configuration management:

• deployments become risky
• emergency rollbacks require code releases
• feature releases cannot be gradual
• configuration drifts between environments
• operational flexibility is reduced

A dedicated configuration service enables safer deployments while improving operational agility.

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🎯 Objectives

Implement a configuration platform that:

• manages feature flags
• supports runtime configuration
• enables staged rollouts
• provides environment-specific settings
• supports user segmentation
• exposes administrative APIs
• records configuration history
• enables instant feature rollback

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🧩 Technical Scope

1. Feature Flag Management

Implement feature flags supporting:

• boolean flags
• percentage rollouts
• scheduled activation
• scheduled deactivation
• kill switches
• temporary flags
• permanent flags

Each flag should include metadata describing ownership and purpose.

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2. Configuration Registry

Provide a central registry for backend configuration values including:

• service settings
• timeout values
• retry policies
• cache TTLs
• API limits
• notification settings
• governance parameters
• operational thresholds

Configuration should be versioned.

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3. Environment Support

Support separate configuration for:

• Development
• Testing
• Staging
• Production

Allow inheritance where appropriate while preventing accidental cross-environment changes.

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4. Targeted Rollouts

Allow feature activation based on:

• user ID
• wallet address
• organisation
• geographic region
• application version
• backend service
• percentage rollout

Support gradual production deployments.

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5. Administrative APIs

Provide secure APIs to:

• create flags
• update flags
• archive flags
• enable features
• disable features
• review configuration history
• compare configuration versions

Administrative actions must require elevated permissions.

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6. Audit Logging

Record:

• configuration changes
• previous values
• new values
• administrator
• timestamps
• rollback actions
• approval history

All configuration changes must be fully auditable.

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7. Caching

Implement efficient configuration caching using Redis.

Support:

• automatic refresh
• cache invalidation
• distributed synchronisation
• minimal latency
• high availability

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8. Rollback Mechanism

Support immediate rollback of:

• feature flags
• configuration changes
• staged releases
• runtime parameters

Rollback should not require application restarts.

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9. Monitoring

Expose metrics including:

• active flags
• disabled flags
• rollout progress
• configuration changes
• cache hit ratio
• configuration refresh latency

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10. Future Extensibility

Design the service to support:

• experimentation framework
• A/B testing
• multivariate testing
• AI-assisted rollouts
• automatic rollback
• policy-driven configuration

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✅ Acceptance Criteria

• Feature flags can be created.
• Runtime configuration is centrally managed.
• Rollouts function correctly.
• Rollbacks complete without downtime.
• Configuration history is retained.
• Administrative APIs are secure.
• Monitoring metrics are available.
• Integration tests pass.

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🧪 Testing Requirements

Implement tests covering:

• feature creation
• rollout rules
• rollback functionality
• environment isolation
• cache invalidation
• permission checks
• audit logging
• concurrent updates
• monitoring metrics

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📚 Documentation

Update:

• Backend Architecture Documentation
• Operations Manual
• Deployment Guide
• Configuration Guide
• OpenAPI Specification
• Developer Documentation

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🔗 Dependencies

Depends on:

• BE-001 — Implement Backend Authentication Gateway
• BE-021 — Implement Redis Cache & Distributed Session Management
• BE-022 — Implement Audit Logging & Compliance API

Blocks:

• Progressive Feature Releases
• Runtime Configuration
• Production Deployments
• A/B Testing
• Administrative Dashboard

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🏷 Labels

• backend
• infrastructure
• architecture
• protocol-critical
• complexity-medium
• stellar-wave

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📊 Complexity

Medium

Although the implementation is relatively straightforward, this service becomes critical operational infrastructure for safely deploying and managing every backend component without requiring application redeployments.

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⏱ Estimated Effort

5–7 days

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🚀 Definition of Done

• Feature flag management implemented.
• Runtime configuration service operational.
• Rollback mechanism functioning.
• Environment separation enforced.
• Audit logging complete.
• Monitoring metrics exposed.
• Tests passing.
• Documentation updated.
• Ready for production deployment.

[DevALVIN-24]

@DevALVIN-24 has applied to work on this issue as part of the Stellar Wave Program's 7th wave.

Hi, I'd like to work on this issue! because I am very conversant with solving problems like this, and i can submit the pr with 48hr

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[victorocheje]

@victorocheje has applied to work on this issue as part of the Stellar Wave Program's 7th wave.

I would like to work on this issue

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[Sendi0011]

@Sendi0011 has applied to work on this issue as part of the Stellar Wave Program's 7th wave.

Gm team, i will like to work on this, i am a frontend/smartcontract developer with experience skill solving issues like this. i am also an active Open source contributor.
ETA: 4 hours

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[OmniZlatoon]

@OmniZlatoon has applied to work on this issue as part of the Stellar Wave Program's 7th wave.

Good day sir, Ready to deliver the task A.S.A.P. Gone through the issue and to be honest, i can work the task with the right tools at hand. please assign me maintainer . My eta is 5 hours

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[drips-wave]

Congratulations, @OmniZlatoon! 🎉 Your application was accepted by the repo's maintainers, and the issue is due on July 30, 2026.

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