Feature Flags

Biological Parallel

Gene expression control allows organisms to carry genetic instructions without executing them—lactose metabolism genes in E. coli remain dormant until lactose presence triggers the lac operon. Feature flags implement the same conditional expression system: code exists in production but executes only when environmental signals activate it. This decouples deployment from activation, exactly as organisms decouple genotype from phenotype. The gene is always there; expression is controlled by context.