Skip to content

Add: Zombie Flags Report Documentation #530

New issue

Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.

By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.

Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account

Merged
merged 42 commits into from
Jun 3, 2025
Merged
Show file tree
Hide file tree
Changes from 17 commits
Commits
Show all changes
42 commits
Select commit Hold shift + click to select a range
464d13b
Add path to `sidebars.ts`
codedbychavez Apr 2, 2025
72b033c
Initial draft of My Zombie Flags Report
codedbychavez Apr 2, 2025
bfdebe0
Additional updates and screenshots
codedbychavez Apr 3, 2025
9360153
Add link to `website/src/pages/index.js`
codedbychavez Apr 3, 2025
c04ba28
Fix: https://github.com/configcat/docs/pull/530#discussion_r2030721387
codedbychavez Apr 7, 2025
cbfe2fb
Fix: https://github.com/configcat/docs/pull/530/files/936015325bc339b…
codedbychavez Apr 7, 2025
f780248
Fix: https://github.com/configcat/docs/pull/530/files/936015325bc339b…
codedbychavez Apr 7, 2025
ab2cfd5
Merge branch 'master' into add-zombie-flags-report-documentation
codedbychavez Apr 14, 2025
b97fd84
Merge branch 'master' into add-zombie-flags-report-documentation
codedbychavez Apr 14, 2025
240e164
Update website/docs/my-zombie-flags-report.mdx
codedbychavez Apr 17, 2025
0a42831
Update website/docs/my-zombie-flags-report.mdx
codedbychavez Apr 17, 2025
e862153
Apply suggestions from code review
codedbychavez Apr 17, 2025
e2e64a8
Update website/docs/my-zombie-flags-report.mdx
codedbychavez Apr 17, 2025
f3f2276
Add new section
codedbychavez Apr 17, 2025
d11fc03
Lint fixes
codedbychavez Apr 17, 2025
53f1f63
Fix bold text
codedbychavez Apr 17, 2025
e3cb4cc
Update
codedbychavez Apr 17, 2025
b40b4c4
Apply suggestions from code review
codedbychavez Apr 30, 2025
088b306
Apply suggestions from code review
codedbychavez May 12, 2025
4f681d0
Fix screenshots
codedbychavez May 12, 2025
e0fa908
Merge branch 'master' into add-zombie-flags-report-documentation
codedbychavez May 19, 2025
68d3f38
Update link to Zombie Flag document in `sidebar.js` and `website/src/…
codedbychavez May 21, 2025
dbbd3b9
Add notes
codedbychavez May 21, 2025
608c359
Add: updated screenshots and instruction notes #1
codedbychavez May 22, 2025
a1c002b
Updates
codedbychavez May 23, 2025
ce98ec0
Add: Zombie flag report email screenshot and update documentation.
codedbychavez May 27, 2025
812ff82
Updates
codedbychavez May 28, 2025
eb5e762
Update website/docs/zombie-flags.mdx
codedbychavez May 29, 2025
30ad0ea
Apply suggestions from code review
codedbychavez May 29, 2025
6e9d618
Fix: https://github.com/configcat/docs/pull/530/files#r2112577805
codedbychavez May 29, 2025
735d66f
Fix: https://github.com/configcat/docs/pull/530/files#r2112592644
codedbychavez May 29, 2025
9c7f806
Fix: https://github.com/configcat/docs/pull/530/files#r2112591105
codedbychavez May 29, 2025
a1b781d
Fix: https://github.com/configcat/docs/pull/530/files#r2112597326
codedbychavez May 29, 2025
7892354
Remove: Unused screenshot
codedbychavez May 29, 2025
0999dce
Fix: https://github.com/configcat/docs/pull/530#discussion_r2112608110
codedbychavez May 29, 2025
3b0683c
Add: zombie flags document to v1 docs and v1 sidebar
codedbychavez May 29, 2025
9af40e0
Update: My Zombie Flags Report screenshot
codedbychavez May 29, 2025
549b6c6
Final updates
codedbychavez May 30, 2025
55bc466
Apply suggestions from code review
laliconfigcat Jun 3, 2025
aa49b24
unwanted spaces
laliconfigcat Jun 3, 2025
e8e52be
Apply suggestions from code review
laliconfigcat Jun 3, 2025
330879d
changes
laliconfigcat Jun 3, 2025
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension

Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
70 changes: 70 additions & 0 deletions website/docs/my-zombie-flags-report.mdx
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
---
id: my-zombie-flags-report
title: My Zombie Flags Report
description: This page explains how to use The Zombie Flags Report to list all feature flags that weren't flipped for a while.
---

Zombie flags, also known as stale feature flags, are feature flags that are no longer needed or rarely used. Over time, they contribute to technical debt and, if left unmanaged, may cause unintended errors, performance issues, or bloated codebases.

## What Are Zombie (Stale) Feature Flags?

Zombie flags typically form when:

- A feature flag originally controlled a feature that has since become permanent, and the flag is no longer needed.

- A decision was made to keep a feature on or off, yet the flag still lingers in your code or DevOps workflow.

- The flag was used for a one-time deployment or experiment that is now complete.

- The flag hasn't been toggled or referenced in a long time.

## Why Should You Remove Zombie Flags?

Keeping unused feature flags in your code can:

- Increase technical complexity and reduce maintainability.

- Lead to unexpected behavior if old flags are triggered.

- Waste time during code reviews or onboarding.

- Negatively impact performance in large-scale applications.

## Managing Zombie Flags

The Zombie Flags (Stale Flags) Report helps you identify feature flags that haven't been updated or flipped for a while. These flags are most likely obsolete but still referenced in your source code.

### How to Set Up Zombie Feature Flags Report

1. Log in to your [ConfigCat dashboard](https://app.configcat.com/my-account/zombie-flags-report).
2. Click your Organization name in the top-right corner.
3. Select **My Zombie Flags Report** from the dropdown menu.

<img alt="Navigating to My Zombie Flags Report" src="/docs/assets/guide/my-zombie-flags-report/navigating-to-my-zombie-flags-report_192dpi.png" width="1224" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />

### Exploring the My Zombie Flags Report Page

On the My Zombie Flags Report page, you can customize the report to fit your workflow:

- **Receive Report via Email:** Get regular email updates with stale flag info.
- **Frequency:** Set how often you'd like to receive the report (e.g., weekly or monthly).
- **Criteria:** Define how long a flag must be inactive before it's marked as stale.
- **Scope:** Choose to include all feature flags or only the ones you're watching.
- Environment: Select the ConfigCat [**environment**](https://configcat.com/docs/main-concepts/#environment) for which you want to analyze flags.


<img alt="My Zombie Flags Report" src="/docs/assets/guide/my-zombie-flags-report/my-zombie-flags-report_192dpi.png" width="1366" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />

## Sample Email Report

Once your preferences are set, ConfigCat will email you a Zombie Flags Report. Here's a preview of what that report may look like:

<img alt="Zombie Flags Report Email" src="/docs/assets/guide/my-zombie-flags-report/zombie-flags-report-email_192dpi.png" width="1366" decoding="async" loading="lazy" />

## Other Tools for Identifying Unused Feature Flags

In addition to the Zombie Flags Report, we offer other tools to help you clean up unused flags:

- [Scan & Upload Code References](https://configcat.com/docs/advanced/code-references/overview): Track where feature flags appear in your code.
- [The ConfigCat CLI](https://configcat.com/docs/advanced/cli): Detect flags still in your code that no longer exist in the ConfigCat Dashboard.
- [GitHub Action](https://configcat.com/docs/integrations/github/) and [CircleCI Orb](https://configcat.com/docs/integrations/circleci): Find feature flags in your code that you might want to remove.
1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions website/sidebars.ts
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -162,6 +162,7 @@ const sidebars: SidebarsConfig = {
},
],
},
'my-zombie-flags-report',
{
label: 'Migration from LaunchDarkly',
type: 'category',
Expand Down
1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions website/src/pages/index.js
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ const features = [
{ url: 'network-traffic', title: 'Network Traffic' },
{ url: 'purchase', title: 'Plans, Purchase & Billing' },
{ url: 'organization', title: 'Organization & Roles' },
{ url: 'my-zombie-flags-report', title: 'Zombie (stale) feature flags' },
{ url: 'news', title: 'News & Product Updates' },
{ url: 'faq', title: 'FAQ' },
{ url: 'glossary', title: 'Glossary' },
Expand Down
Loading
Sorry, something went wrong. Reload?
Sorry, we cannot display this file.
Sorry, this file is invalid so it cannot be displayed.
Loading
Sorry, something went wrong. Reload?
Sorry, we cannot display this file.
Sorry, this file is invalid so it cannot be displayed.
Loading
Sorry, something went wrong. Reload?
Sorry, we cannot display this file.
Sorry, this file is invalid so it cannot be displayed.