Project

switchlet

0.0
No release in over 3 years
switchletkomagata/switchletHomepageDocumentationSource CodeBug TrackerWiki
Simple boolean feature flags stored in database with web admin interface
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 Popularity
Downloads
469
Stars
1
Forks
0
Watchers
0
 Releases
Current version
0.3.1
Total releases
6
First release
1980-01-02
Latest release
1980-01-02
 Development
Primary Language
Ruby
Licenses
MIT
Average date of last 50 commits
2025-08-19
Reverse Dependencies
0

 Dependencies

Development

minitest
>= 0
sqlite3
>= 0

Runtime

rails
>= 6.1
 Project Readme

🎛️ Switchlet

Minimal feature flag gem. Simple boolean feature flags stored in database with web admin interface.

Installation

Add to your Gemfile:

gem 'switchlet'

Then execute:

bundle install
rails generate switchlet:install
rails db:migrate

Usage

# Check if feature is enabled (returns false for unregistered flags)
Switchlet.enabled?(:my_feature)  # => false

# Enable a feature
Switchlet.enable!(:my_feature)   # => true

# Enable a feature with description
Switchlet.enable!(:my_feature)   # => true

# Disable a feature
Switchlet.disable!(:my_feature)  # => false

# Disable with description
Switchlet.disable!(:my_feature)  # => false

# Update description or enabled status
Switchlet.update!(:my_feature, description: "Updated description")  # => Flag object
Switchlet.update!(:my_feature, enabled: false)  # => Flag object
Switchlet.update!(:my_feature, description: "New description", enabled: true)  # => Flag object

# Delete a feature flag
Switchlet.delete!(:my_feature)   # => nil

# List all feature flags (includes descriptions)
Switchlet.list  # => [{ name: "my_feature", enabled: true, description: "New payment system", updated_at: Time }]

Common Usage Patterns

Feature flags are often combined with other conditions for more sophisticated control:

# Time-based rollout: Enable feature after specific date
if Switchlet.enabled?(:my_feature) && Time.current >= Time.zone.parse("2025-06-01 00:00:00")
  # New feature implementation
  render :new_checkout_process
else
  # Fallback to old implementation
  render :old_checkout_process
end

# User-based gradual rollout: Enable for specific user segments
if Switchlet.enabled?(:my_feature) && current_user.id % 4 == 0
  # Enable for 25% of users (user IDs divisible by 4)
  show_new_dashboard_ui
else
  show_classic_dashboard_ui
end

# Role-based access: Enable only for specific user roles
if Switchlet.enabled?(:my_feature) && current_user.admin?
  # Admin-only feature
  render_admin_analytics_panel
else
  render_basic_stats
end

# Complex conditions: Combine multiple criteria
if Switchlet.enabled?(:beta_features) && 
   current_user.beta_tester? && 
   Time.current.hour.between?(9, 17)
  # Beta feature available only during business hours for beta testers
  enable_experimental_features
end

Web UI

Switchlet includes a web interface for managing feature flags:

# Add to your routes.rb
mount Switchlet::Engine => "/switchlet"

Then visit /switchlet in your browser to:

  • View all feature flags with descriptions
  • Toggle flags ON/OFF
  • Create new flags with optional descriptions
  • Edit descriptions inline (click to edit)
  • Delete existing flags

Securing the Web Interface

⚠️ Important: The web interface should be secured in production environments.

Custom Authentication (Recommended)

Integrate with your existing authentication system:

# config/initializers/switchlet.rb
Switchlet.configure do |config|
  # Devise + admin role
  config.authenticate_with do |controller|
    controller.authenticate_user! && controller.current_user.admin?
  end
end

Examples for different authentication systems:

# CanCanCan authorization
config.authenticate_with do |controller|
  controller.authorize! :manage, :switchlet
end

# Custom session-based authentication
config.authenticate_with do |controller|
  controller.session[:admin_logged_in] == true
end

# Simple role check
config.authenticate_with do |controller|
  controller.current_user&.role == 'admin'
end

Basic Authentication

For simple username/password protection:

# config/initializers/switchlet.rb
Switchlet.configure do |config|
  config.basic_auth_enabled = Rails.env.production?
  config.basic_auth_username = ENV['SWITCHLET_USERNAME']
  config.basic_auth_password = ENV['SWITCHLET_PASSWORD']
end

IP Restriction

Restrict access to specific IP addresses:

# config/initializers/switchlet.rb
Switchlet.configure do |config|
  config.allowed_ips = [
    '127.0.0.1',          # localhost
    '10.0.0.0/8',         # private network
    '192.168.1.0/24'      # local network
  ]
end

Multiple Authentication Methods

You can combine multiple methods. The authentication priority is:

  1. Custom authentication block (highest priority)
  2. IP restriction (if no custom auth)
  3. Basic authentication (if configured)
Switchlet.configure do |config|
  # Custom auth takes precedence
  config.authenticate_with do |controller|
    controller.current_user&.admin?
  end
  
  # IP restriction works alongside custom auth
  config.allowed_ips = ['10.0.0.0/8']
  
  # Basic auth as fallback (won't be used if custom auth is set)
  config.basic_auth_enabled = true
  config.basic_auth_username = ENV['SWITCHLET_USERNAME']
  config.basic_auth_password = ENV['SWITCHLET_PASSWORD']
end

Rake Tasks

rake switchlet:list
rake switchlet:enable[feature_name]
rake switchlet:disable[feature_name]
rake switchlet:delete[feature_name]

Notes

  • No caching - reads directly from database
  • Unregistered flags return false
  • No YAML/ENV/actor/percentage support
  • Requires Rails 6.1 or later

Development

After checking out the repo, run bin/setup to install dependencies. Then, run rake test to run the tests. You can also run bin/console for an interactive prompt that will allow you to experiment.

To install this gem onto your local machine, run bundle exec rake install. To release a new version, update the version number in version.rb, and then run bundle exec rake release, which will create a git tag for the version, push git commits and the created tag, and push the .gem file to rubygems.org.

Contributing

Bug reports and pull requests are welcome on GitHub at https://github.com/komagata/switchlet.

License

The gem is available as open source under the terms of the MIT License.