Feature Request: Provide a way for GitLab administrators to easily track feature flag changes across GitLab versions
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Problem to solve
Currently, administrators of self-managed GitLab instances can view all feature flags in GitLab on this page: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/feature_flags.html They can also view administrator set feature flags: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/feature_flags.html#view-set-feature-flags However, GitLab admins do not have a straightforward way to track historical changes to feature flags across different versions of GitLab. This causes challenges when it comes to configuration management and risk mitigation, especially during version upgrades. Admins need to manually track these changes to understand their impact, which is a time-consuming and error prone process. This is a tool that admins frequently use to understand feature changes across GitLab versions as they are planning their upgrades, but there is no way to use this tool to track feature flag changes between versions: https://gitlab-com.gitlab.io/cs-tools/gitlab-cs-tools/what-is-new-since/?tab=features
Proposal
Provide a feature that automatically tracks and documents all changes made to feature flags with each GitLab version update. Possible capabilities to include:
- Automatically log changes to feature flags as part of the GitLab version upgrade process
- Include a dedicated area in the GitLab UI where admins can view a changelog of feature flags by version
- Add optional notifications for admins whenever a feature flag is added, altered, or removed during an upgrade
A first iteration of this would be to provide a way for admins to pull a list of the feature flag changes that will occur during an upgrade from their current version to their target version. Perhaps a Rails command or database query could be used for this.
Intended users
Administrators of self-managed GitLab instances.
This feature would be particularly beneficial for administrators managing the GitLab upgrade process in regulated industries such as government and banking where tracking software configuration changes is critical for security and compliance audits.
Does this feature require an audit event?
TBD. Existing feature flag audit events can be found here: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/audit_event_types.html#feature-flags
This page may contain information related to upcoming products, features and functionality. It is important to note that the information presented is for informational purposes only, so please do not rely on the information for purchasing or planning purposes. Just like with all projects, the items mentioned on the page are subject to change or delay, and the development, release, and timing of any products, features, or functionality remain at the sole discretion of GitLab Inc.
This page may contain information related to upcoming products, features and functionality. It is important to note that the information presented is for informational purposes only, so please do not rely on the information for purchasing or planning purposes. Just like with all projects, the items mentioned on the page are subject to change or delay, and the development, release, and timing of any products, features, or functionality remain at the sole discretion of GitLab Inc.