Final answer:
Externalizing feature flags in application development allows for greater flexibility and control over feature rollouts, as the feature configurations are stored outside of the codebase. This can improve testing, reduce risk, and enable more dynamic management of application features.
Step-by-step explanation:
When you are developing an application that uses feature flags, externalizing them is crucial. Externalizing feature flags means that the configuration of the flags is stored outside of the application's codebase. This approach offers flexibility and allows developers to enable or disable features in real time without the need to redeploy the application, thereby reducing risk and achieving more controlled rollouts of new features.
Feature toggle management systems are used to handle feature flags effectively. These systems allow for conditions to be set that control the flag states based on various factors such as user attributes or environment settings. Not only does this provide a secure way to manage features, but it also facilitates A/B testing and canary releases.