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Introduction

How do you enable or disable features without redeploying the app?

If your first thought is “I’ll just flip a value in appsettings.json” - you’re not alone.

But that’s also where most Feature Flag implementations quietly fail.

In the last few days, I shared a short post about Feature Flags in .NET, and the comments were exciting.

They all circled the same confusion:

Do we really avoid redeployment?

How does this work with multiple instances?

Is appsettings.json enough?

Do I still need to run a DevOps release?

Let’s clear this up - with real code that actually works.

First: What “Without Redeploying” Actually Means

Let’s be very explicit.

“Without redeploying” means:

❌ no build

❌ no release pipeline

❌ no app restart

❌ no new container image

✅ behavior changes while the app is running

If changing a feature flag requires you to click 'Deploy', then you haven’t decoupled deployment from release - you've just moved the toggle.

Why appsettings.json Is NOT Enough

Yes, you can define feature flags in appsettings.json.

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{
  "FeatureManagement": {
    "BetaFeature": true
  }
}

But here’s the problem:

1. appsettings.json is read at startup

2. each instance has its own copy

3. any change requires:

• file change

• restart

• redeploy

So this works for:

• local development

• demos

• small experiments

But it does not work for:

• multiple instances

• Kubernetes

• Azure App Service

• real production traffic

To truly avoid redeployment, feature flags must live outside the application.

The Correct Architecture

Feature Flags must be:

• centrally stored

• shared across instances

• read at runtime

• refreshable without a restart

In .NET, this is exactly what Azure App Configuration + Feature Management gives us.

Let’s build this properly.

Step 1: Install Required Packages

These give us:

• Feature Flags API

• Azure App Configuration integration

• runtime refresh support

123

dotnet add package Microsoft.FeatureManagement.AspNetCore
dotnet add package Microsoft.Azure.AppConfiguration.AspNetCore

Step 2: Configure Azure App Configuration

In Azure Portal:

1. Create Azure App Configuration

2. Go to Feature Manager

3. Create a feature flag:

• Name: BetaFeature

• Enabled: false

You now have a central switch.

Read the full tutorial about Feature Manager Azure App Configuration.

Step 3: Add Connection String

In appsettings.json:

123456

{
  "AzureAppConfig": {
    "ConnectionString": "<YOUR_CONNECTION_STRING>"
  }
}

In real projects, this belongs in Key Vault or environment variables.

Step 4: Configure Program.cs

This is the part most examples skip or oversimplify.

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using Microsoft.FeatureManagement;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.AzureAppConfiguration;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

// 1. Connect to Azure App Configuration
builder.Host.ConfigureAppConfiguration(config =>
{
    var settings = config.Build();
    config.AddAzureAppConfiguration(options =>
    {
        options
            .Connect(settings["AzureAppConfig:ConnectionString"])
            // Register feature flags
            .UseFeatureFlags(featureOptions =>
            {
                featureOptions.CacheExpirationInterval =
                    TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10);
            })
            // Register refresh with a sentinel key
            .ConfigureRefresh(refresh =>
            {
                refresh
                    .Register("FeatureFlags:Sentinel", true)
                    .SetCacheExpiration(
                        TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));
            });
    });
});

// 2. Add Feature Management
builder.Services.AddFeatureManagement();

// 3. Add Azure App Config refresh middleware
builder.Services.AddAzureAppConfiguration();

var app = builder.Build();

// Enable refresh middleware
app.UseAzureAppConfiguration();

app.MapGet("/", () =>
    "Feature Flags Demo is running");

// Feature-gated endpoint
app.MapGet("/beta", async (IFeatureManager featureManager) =>
{
    if (await featureManager.IsEnabledAsync("BetaFeature"))
    {
        return Results.Ok("Beta feature is ENABLED");
    }

    return Results.Ok("Beta feature is DISABLED");
});

app.Run();

Step 5: (Optional but Recommended) Sentinel Key

In Azure App Configuration:

Create a key-value pair:

• Key: FeatureFlags:Sentinel

• Value: any string (e.g. timestamp)

Whenever you update this value:

• all feature flags refresh

• no restart

• no redeploy

Step 6: See It in Action

Run the app and call GET /beta → ❌ disabled

Enable BetaFeature in the Azure Portal

Wait ~10 seconds

Call /beta again → 🚀 enabled

No redeploy. No restart. No pipeline.

Important Production Gotcha: Caching

Azure App Configuration does cache values.

If you don’t configure refresh:

• changes may take minutes

• developers think “it doesn’t work”

That’s why:

• CacheExpirationInterval

• sentinel keys

• refresh middleware

matter a lot.

This is where most “Feature Flags don’t work” stories come from.

What About Multiple Instances?

This setup works perfectly with:

• multiple app instances

• load balancers

• Kubernetes

• App Service scaling

Because:

• flags are centralized

• decision logic is deterministic

• instances are stateless

The feature decision does not depend on the instance.

3rd-Party Feature Flag Providers

Azure App Configuration is great if you’re already on Azure.

Other solid options:

• LaunchDarkly - enterprise-grade

• Unleash - open-source & self-hosted

• Flagsmith - SaaS or self-hosted

The provider matters less than the runtime architecture.

When Feature Flags Become a Problem

Feature Flags are powerful - but dangerous if abused:

• flags that live for years

• nested if statements everywhere

• “temporary” flags that never die

Best practice:

• flags should have an owner

• flags should have a removal date

• flags should not replace versioning

Conclusion

Feature Flags are not about hiding code paths.

hey are about decoupling deployment from release.

If flipping a flag requires a redeploy, you didn’t gain flexibility - you added complexity.

If you want a deeper dive, I’ve already written a full article on Feature Flags in .NET with Azure Feature Management here.

More real-world .NET architecture topics coming soon 🚀

That's all from me for today.