Creating audience-based releases

This topic explains how to create an audience-based release to roll out changes to specific audiences in sequence.

Prerequisites

To create an audience-based release, you should first complete the following prerequisites:

• Choose a context kind
• Define your audiences

Choose a context kind

Choose a context kind to use as the randomization unit for the rollout. The context kind determines how LaunchDarkly assigns traffic to variations and how audiences are evaluated during each phase. It must be available in both the flag or AgentControl config and in any metrics you plan to monitor.

If this is your first audience-based release, read Setting up contexts for guarded rollouts to learn more about best practices for setting up and choosing contexts.

Create metrics

If you are using guarded rollout behavior, choose one or more existing metrics or create new ones to monitor during the rollout. All phases share the same metrics and rollback configuration. To learn how, read Creating and managing metrics.

Define your audiences

Decide which audiences to include and in what order. Each audience defines which contexts are included in a phase of the release. You can define audiences using segments or targeting rules.

Create an audience-based release

You can create an audience-based release when you begin serving a new variation. This applies whether you are toggling the flag or AgentControl config on for the first time, or changing a variation on a flag or config that is already on. Select Automatic for phase advancement to let LaunchDarkly move the release through all audiences without manual action between phases.

To create an audience-based release on a flag or AgentControl config:

1. Navigate to the flag or config you want to release, then select the Targeting tab.
2. Locate the rule where you want to create the release.
3. Click Ship it or the “using a release is recommended” release policy banner.

4. Select the rollout variations.
5. Select the context kind to use as the randomization unit.
6. (Optional) Select metrics or metric groups to monitor for regression.
7. Configure the rollout steps. These settings apply to every phase in the release.
8. Select a Phase advancement option.
   • Select Automatic to let LaunchDarkly start the next phase as soon as the current phase completes, advancing through all audiences without manual action between phases.
   • Select Manual if you prefer to start each phase yourself.
9. Select a Final phase option.
10. Click Health check waiting or Health warnings to review any issues that could prevent LaunchDarkly from monitoring your rollout. To learn more, read Health checks for guarded rollouts.
11. Click Review and save.

After you save, LaunchDarkly starts the rollout for the first audience. The remaining phases exist in a configured state but do not begin until the previous phase completes.

Advance to the next phase

A phase completes when the rollout steps reach 100% for the current audience.

Automatic phase advancement

If you selected Automatic phase advancement, LaunchDarkly starts the next phase automatically when the current phase completes. The release moves through all audiences without any manual action required between phases.

Manual phase advancement

If you selected Manual phase advancement, navigate to the flag or AgentControl config, select the Targeting tab, and click Advance to next phase.

Monitor an audience-based release

To monitor an audience-based release:

1. Navigate to the flag or AgentControl config.
2. Select the Monitoring tab.
3. Review the current phase and rollout progress.
4. Examine metric performance for the active audience.
5. Check for regressions or health warnings.

If LaunchDarkly detects a regression, you can roll back the release manually, or automatic rollback takes effect if you configured it. To learn more, read Managing guarded rollouts.