New Featbit Release

Create New FeatBit Release

Complete workflow for creating a new FeatBit release, including chart updates, version bumps, image updates, and migration handling.

Quick Checklist

• Update FeatBit application version (appVersion in Chart.yaml)
• Update Helm chart version (version in Chart.yaml)
• Update all image tags in values.yaml (ui, api, els, da-server)
• Create/update database migration file (if needed)
• Document environment variable changes
• Document breaking changes
• Update chart dependencies (if needed)
• Test locally before publishing

Release Workflow Overview

1. Version Planning → 2. Update Chart Files → 3. Create Migration
     ↓                        ↓                      ↓
4. Test Locally → 5. Document Changes → 6. Publish Release

Step 1: Version Planning

Determine version numbers following semantic versioning:

Chart Version (version in Chart.yaml):

• Follows Semantic Versioning (SemVer): MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
• MAJOR: Breaking changes, incompatible API changes
• MINOR: New features, backward-compatible
• PATCH: Bug fixes, backward-compatible

App Version (appVersion in Chart.yaml):

• FeatBit application version (e.g., "5.2.1", "5.3.0")
• Matches FeatBit core release version
• Used as default image tag

Examples:

Chart 0.9.1 → 0.9.2 (patch: bug fix in chart templates)
Chart 0.9.1 → 0.10.0 (minor: new configuration options)
Chart 0.9.1 → 1.0.0 (major: breaking changes in values structure)

App 5.2.1 → 5.2.2 (patch: FeatBit bug fixes)
App 5.2.1 → 5.3.0 (minor: new FeatBit features)
App 5.2.1 → 6.0.0 (major: breaking API changes)

Step 2: Update Chart.yaml

Update version information in charts/featbit/Chart.yaml:

# Chart version - increment based on changes
version: 0.9.2  # Was 0.9.1

# FeatBit application version
appVersion: "5.3.0"  # Was "5.2.1"

Version Update Commands:

# Navigate to chart directory
cd charts/featbit

# Edit Chart.yaml
code Chart.yaml  # Or use your preferred editor

# Verify changes
git diff Chart.yaml

Chart Version Decision Tree:

Chart Changes?
├─ Breaking changes in values.yaml structure? → MAJOR (1.0.0)
├─ New optional configuration options? → MINOR (0.10.0)
├─ Bug fixes in templates? → PATCH (0.9.2)
└─ Only appVersion update? → PATCH (0.9.2)

Step 3: Update Image Tags in values.yaml

Update all FeatBit component image tags in charts/featbit/values.yaml:

Core Components (4 images to update)

# 1. UI Component (line ~49)
ui:
  image:
    tag: 5.3.0  # Update from 5.2.1

# 2. API Server (line ~143)
api:
  image:
    tag: 5.3.0  # Update from 5.2.1

# 3. Evaluation Server (line ~235)
els:
  image:
    tag: 5.3.0  # Update from 5.2.1

# 4. DA Server (line ~327)
da-server:
  image:
    tag: 5.3.0  # Update from 5.2.1

Bulk Update Commands:

cd charts/featbit

# Search for current version tags
grep -n "tag: 5.2.1" values.yaml

# Use sed to replace (verify first!)
sed -i 's/tag: 5.2.1/tag: 5.3.0/g' values.yaml

# Verify changes (should show 4 changes)
git diff values.yaml

Manual Update Locations:

Line ~49:  ui.image.tag
Line ~143: api.image.tag  
Line ~235: els.image.tag
Line ~327: da-server.image.tag

Infrastructure Components (Optional)

Only update if new versions are required:

• PostgreSQL (line ~415)
• MongoDB (line ~482)
• Redis (line ~556-564)
• Kafka (line ~586-652)
• ClickHouse (varies)

Step 4: Create Database Migration (If Needed)

If the new FeatBit version includes database schema changes:

4.1 Create Migration File

# Create new migration file
touch migration/RELEASE-v0.9.2.md

# Or for major releases
touch migration/RELEASE-v1.0.0.md

4.2 Migration File Template

# FeatBit Chart v0.9.2 / App v5.3.0 Database Migration

## Overview
Brief description of database changes in this release.

## Prerequisites
- FeatBit version: 5.2.x or earlier
- Target version: 5.3.0
- Database: PostgreSQL 13+ or MongoDB 5+

## PostgreSQL Migrations

### Schema Changes

#### Add New Columns
\`\`\`sql
-- Add feature analytics column
ALTER TABLE feature_flags 
ADD COLUMN analytics_enabled BOOLEAN DEFAULT false;

-- Add last accessed timestamp
ALTER TABLE feature_flags 
ADD COLUMN last_accessed_at TIMESTAMP;
\`\`\`

#### Create New Indexes
\`\`\`sql
-- Index for performance optimization
CREATE INDEX idx_feature_flags_analytics 
ON feature_flags(analytics_enabled) 
WHERE analytics_enabled = true;

CREATE INDEX idx_feature_flags_last_accessed 
ON feature_flags(last_accessed_at DESC);
\`\`\`

#### Data Migrations (if needed)
\`\`\`sql
-- Migrate existing data
UPDATE feature_flags 
SET analytics_enabled = true 
WHERE flag_type = 'release';
\`\`\`

## MongoDB Migrations

### Schema Changes

\`\`\`javascript
// Add new fields to feature flags collection
db.featureFlags.updateMany(
  {},
  {
    $set: {
      analyticsEnabled: false,
      lastAccessedAt: null
    }
  }
);

// Create indexes
db.featureFlags.createIndex(
  { analyticsEnabled: 1 },
  { 
    name: "idx_analytics_enabled",
    partialFilterExpression: { analyticsEnabled: true }
  }
);

db.featureFlags.createIndex(
  { lastAccessedAt: -1 },
  { name: "idx_last_accessed" }
);
\`\`\`

## Verification

### PostgreSQL
\`\`\`sql
-- Verify new columns exist
SELECT column_name, data_type 
FROM information_schema.columns 
WHERE table_name = 'feature_flags' 
AND column_name IN ('analytics_enabled', 'last_accessed_at');

-- Verify indexes created
SELECT indexname FROM pg_indexes 
WHERE tablename = 'feature_flags';
\`\`\`

### MongoDB
\`\`\`javascript
// Verify fields
db.featureFlags.findOne({}, { analyticsEnabled: 1, lastAccessedAt: 1 });

// Verify indexes
db.featureFlags.getIndexes();
\`\`\`

## Rollback Procedure

If rollback is needed:

### PostgreSQL
\`\`\`sql
-- Remove new columns (if needed)
ALTER TABLE feature_flags DROP COLUMN analytics_enabled;
ALTER TABLE feature_flags DROP COLUMN last_accessed_at;

-- Drop indexes
DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_feature_flags_analytics;
DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_feature_flags_last_accessed;
\`\`\`

### MongoDB
\`\`\`javascript
// Remove fields
db.featureFlags.updateMany({}, {
  $unset: { analyticsEnabled: "", lastAccessedAt: "" }
});

// Drop indexes
db.featureFlags.dropIndex("idx_analytics_enabled");
db.featureFlags.dropIndex("idx_last_accessed");
\`\`\`

## Notes
- Always backup database before migration
- Test migration on non-production environment first
- Migration is backward-compatible with FeatBit 5.2.x
- Estimated execution time: < 1 minute for small datasets

4.3 Migration File Naming Convention

migration/RELEASE-v{chart-version}.md

Examples:
migration/RELEASE-v0.9.2.md
migration/RELEASE-v0.10.0.md
migration/RELEASE-v1.0.0.md

Step 5: Document Environment Variables & Breaking Changes

5.1 Check for Environment Variable Changes

Review FeatBit release notes for new or changed env vars:

Common env variable locations in chart:

• templates/_*-env.tpl files
• ConfigMaps in deployment files
• values.yaml defaults

Document changes:

## Environment Variable Changes

### New Variables (v5.3.0)
- `ANALYTICS_ENABLED` - Enable feature analytics (default: false)
- `ANALYTICS_RETENTION_DAYS` - Data retention period (default: 90)

### Changed Variables
- `REDIS_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT` - Default increased from 5s to 10s
- `DATABASE_POOL_SIZE` - Default changed from 20 to 50

### Deprecated Variables
- `OLD_FEATURE_TOGGLE` - Replaced by `NEW_FEATURE_FLAG`
- `LEGACY_API_MODE` - Removed in v6.0.0

### Migration Guide
\`\`\`yaml
# Old configuration (v5.2.x)
env:
  - name: OLD_FEATURE_TOGGLE
    value: "true"

# New configuration (v5.3.0)
env:
  - name: NEW_FEATURE_FLAG
    value: "enabled"
\`\`\`

5.2 Document Breaking Changes

Breaking Change Categories:

1. Configuration Structure Changes
2. API Endpoint Changes
3. SDK Compatibility Changes
4. Database Schema Incompatibilities
5. Removed Features

Breaking Changes Template:

## Breaking Changes in v5.3.0

### ⚠️ Configuration Structure
**Changed:** `api.auth` configuration structure
**Impact:** Custom auth values must be updated
**Migration:**
\`\`\`yaml
# Before (v5.2.x)
api:
  auth:
    enabled: true
    provider: "oauth"

# After (v5.3.0)
api:
  auth:
    mode: "oauth"
    providers:
      - name: "oauth"
        enabled: true
\`\`\`

### ⚠️ API Changes
**Removed:** `/api/v1/legacy-flags` endpoint
**Impact:** Clients using old API must migrate
**Alternative:** Use `/api/v2/feature-flags`

### ⚠️ SDK Compatibility
**Minimum Versions Required:**
- JavaScript SDK: >= 2.0.0
- .NET SDK: >= 3.0.0
- Java SDK: >= 2.5.0
**Action:** Update SDK versions before upgrading

### ⚠️ Database Changes
**Required:** Schema migration mandatory
**Impact:** Cannot rollback after migration without data loss
**Action:** Backup database before upgrade

5.3 Update Chart README

Update charts/featbit/README.md or charts/featbit/examples/ documentation:

## Changes in v0.9.2 / App v5.3.0

### Features
- Added analytics tracking for feature flags
- Improved performance with new database indexes
- Enhanced API rate limiting

### Configuration Changes
- New `analyticsEnabled` field in values.yaml
- Updated default resource limits

### Migration Required
- Database schema changes - see migration/RELEASE-v0.9.2.md
- Update SDK versions if using JavaScript < 2.0.0

### Breaking Changes
- Auth configuration structure updated
- Legacy API endpoints removed

Step 6: Test Locally

Before publishing, test the updated chart locally:

# Update local dependencies
cd charts/featbit
helm dependency update

# Test with local PostgreSQL
kubectl config use-context docker-desktop
helm upgrade featbit-test . \
  -f examples/standard/featbit-standard-local-pg.yaml \
  --dry-run

# If dry-run succeeds, deploy
helm upgrade featbit-test . \
  -f examples/standard/featbit-standard-local-pg.yaml

# Verify pods
kubectl get pods -w

# Test health endpoints
kubectl port-forward service/featbit-api 5000:5000
curl http://localhost:5000/health

# Test UI
kubectl port-forward service/featbit-ui 8081:8081
# Visit: http://localhost:8081

Step 7: Publish Release

7.1 Update Chart Repository

# Package chart
helm package charts/featbit

# Update index (if managing repo)
helm repo index . --url https://charts.featbit.co

# Push changes
git add charts/featbit/Chart.yaml
git add charts/featbit/values.yaml
git add migration/RELEASE-v*.md
git commit -m "Release chart v0.9.2 with FeatBit v5.3.0"
git tag -a v0.9.2 -m "Release v0.9.2"
git push origin main --tags

7.2 Create GitHub Release

1. Go to https://github.com/featbit/featbit-charts/releases/new
2. Tag: v0.9.2
3. Title: FeatBit Helm Chart v0.9.2 (App v5.3.0)
4. Description template:

# FeatBit Helm Chart v0.9.2

## Application Version
FeatBit v5.3.0

## What's Changed

### Features
- Added analytics tracking for feature flags
- Improved database performance with new indexes

### Chart Improvements
- Updated default resource recommendations
- Added new configuration options for analytics

### Breaking Changes
⚠️ **Configuration Structure Updated**
- Auth configuration now uses nested `providers` structure
- See migration guide below

⚠️ **Database Migration Required**
- New columns and indexes added to feature_flags table
- See `migration/RELEASE-v0.9.2.md` for scripts

## Upgrade Instructions

### 1. Review Migration
\`\`\`bash
cat migration/RELEASE-v0.9.2.md
\`\`\`

### 2. Backup Database
\`\`\`bash
pg_dump -h <host> -U <user> featbit > backup.sql
\`\`\`

### 3. Execute Migrations
Follow instructions in `migration/RELEASE-v0.9.2.md`

### 4. Upgrade Chart
\`\`\`bash
helm repo update featbit
helm upgrade featbit featbit/featbit \
  --version 0.9.2 \
  -f your-values.yaml
\`\`\`

## SDK Compatibility

**Minimum Required Versions:**
- JavaScript SDK: >= 2.0.0
- .NET SDK: >= 3.0.0
- Java SDK: >= 2.5.0

## Documentation
- [Chart README](https://github.com/featbit/featbit-charts/blob/main/charts/featbit/README.md)
- [FeatBit Docs](https://docs.featbit.co/)
- [Migration Guide](https://github.com/featbit/featbit-charts/blob/main/migration/RELEASE-v0.9.2.md)

## Full Changelog
https://github.com/featbit/featbit-charts/compare/v0.9.1...v0.9.2

Complete Example Workflow

# ============================================
# STEP 1: Update Chart.yaml
# ============================================
cd charts/featbit
# Edit Chart.yaml:
#   version: 0.9.2
#   appVersion: "5.3.0"

# ============================================
# STEP 2: Update values.yaml image tags
# ============================================
# Update 4 image tags: ui, api, els, da-server
# All from 5.2.1 → 5.3.0

# ============================================
# STEP 3: Create Migration File
# ============================================
cat > ../../migration/RELEASE-v0.9.2.md << 'EOF'
# FeatBit v0.9.2 Migration
... (migration content) ...
EOF

# ============================================
# STEP 4: Test Locally
# ============================================
kubectl config use-context docker-desktop
helm upgrade featbit-test . \
  -f examples/standard/featbit-standard-local-pg.yaml \
  --dry-run

helm upgrade featbit-test . \
  -f examples/standard/featbit-standard-local-pg.yaml

kubectl get pods -w

# ============================================
# STEP 5: Commit and Publish
# ============================================
cd ../..
git add charts/featbit/Chart.yaml
git add charts/featbit/values.yaml
git add migration/RELEASE-v0.9.2.md
git commit -m "Release v0.9.2 with FeatBit v5.3.0"
git tag -a v0.9.2 -m "Release v0.9.2"
git push origin main --tags

# ============================================
# STEP 6: Create GitHub Release
# ============================================
# Go to GitHub UI and create release from tag v0.9.2

Files to Update

Checklist Before Publishing

• Chart.yaml version updated
• Chart.yaml appVersion updated
• All 4 image tags updated in values.yaml
• Migration file created (if needed)
• Breaking changes documented
• Environment variable changes documented
• Tested locally with dry-run
• Tested actual deployment locally
• All pods running and healthy
• Health endpoints responding
• Git changes committed
• Git tag created
• Changes pushed to repository
• GitHub release created with notes

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Forgetting to update all 4 image tags - Must update ui, api, els, da-server
❌ Chart version doesn't follow SemVer - Use MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
❌ No migration file for schema changes - Users need migration scripts
❌ Breaking changes not documented - Users need migration guides
❌ Not testing locally first - Catch issues before publishing
❌ Forgetting to update dependencies - Run helm dependency update
❌ Not documenting env variable changes - Users need configuration guide

Tools Required

• Helm >= 3.7.0
• Git
• kubectl (for local testing)
• Docker Desktop with Kubernetes enabled
• Text editor (VS Code recommended)

Support

• Repository: https://github.com/featbit/featbit-charts
• Issues: https://github.com/featbit/featbit-charts/issues
• FeatBit Docs: https://docs.featbit.co/

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