feat: bootstrap initial local evaluation flags

packages/experiment-browser/src/config.ts

@@ -36,6 +36,12 @@ export interface ExperimentConfig {
    */
   initialVariants?: Variants;
 
+  /**
+   * Initial values for flags. This is useful for bootstrapping the
+   * client with fallbacks for flag configs.
+   */
+  initialFlags?: string;
+
   /**
    * Determines the primary source of variants and variants before falling back.
    * @see Source
@@ -144,6 +150,7 @@ export interface ExperimentConfig {
  | **instanceName** | `$default_instance` |
  | **fallbackVariant**         | `null`                 |
  | **initialVariants**         | `null`                 |
+ | **initialFlags**         | `undefined`                 |
  | **source** | `Source.LocalStorage` |
  | **serverUrl**    | `"https://api.lab.amplitude.com"` |
  | **flagsServerUrl**    | `"https://flag.lab.amplitude.com"` |
@@ -166,6 +173,7 @@ export const Defaults: ExperimentConfig = {
   instanceName: '$default_instance',
   fallbackVariant: {},
   initialVariants: {},
+  initialFlags: undefined,
   source: Source.LocalStorage,
   serverUrl: 'https://api.lab.amplitude.com',
   flagsServerUrl: 'https://flag.lab.amplitude.com',

packages/experiment-browser/src/experimentClient.ts

@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@ import {
   isLocalEvaluationMode,
   isNullOrUndefined,
   isNullUndefinedOrEmpty,
-  isRemoteEvaluationMode,
 } from './util';
 import { Backoff } from './util/backoff';
 import {
@@ -155,6 +154,7 @@ export class ExperimentClient implements Client {
     } catch (e) {
       console.warn('Failed to load flags and variants from localStorage', e);
     }
+    this.mergeInitialFlagsWithStorage();
   }
 
   /**
@@ -393,6 +393,17 @@ export class ExperimentClient implements Client {
     return this;
   }
 
+  private mergeInitialFlagsWithStorage(): void {
+    if (this.config.initialFlags) {
+      const initialFlags = JSON.parse(this.config.initialFlags);
+      initialFlags.forEach((flag: EvaluationFlag) => {
+        if (!this.flags.get(flag.key)) {
+          this.flags.put(flag.key, flag);
+        }
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
   private evaluate(flagKeys?: string[]): Variants {
     const user = this.addContext(this.user);
     const flags = topologicalSort(this.flags.getAll(), flagKeys);
@@ -424,8 +435,6 @@ export class ExperimentClient implements Client {
     return sourceVariant;
   }
 
-  // TODO variant and source for both local and remote needs to be cleaned up.
-
   /**
    * This function assumes the flag exists and is local evaluation mode. For
    * local evaluation, fallback order goes:
@@ -627,7 +636,7 @@ export class ExperimentClient implements Client {
 
     this.debug(`[Experiment] Fetch all: retry=${retry}`);
 
-    // Proactively cancel retries if active in order to avoid unecessary API
+    // Proactively cancel retries if active in order to avoid unnecessary API
     // requests. A new failure will restart the retries.
     if (retry) {
       this.stopRetries();
@@ -677,6 +686,7 @@ export class ExperimentClient implements Client {
     } catch (e) {
       console.warn('Failed to store flags in localStorage', e);
     }
+    this.mergeInitialFlagsWithStorage();
   }
 
   private async storeVariants(

packages/experiment-browser/test/client.test.ts

@@ -1047,4 +1047,39 @@ describe('start', () => {
     await client.start();
     expect(fetchSpy).toBeCalledTimes(0);
   });
+
+  test('initial flags', async () => {
+    // Flag, sdk-ci-test-local is modified to always return off
+    const client = new ExperimentClient(API_KEY, {
+      fetchOnStart: false,
+      initialFlags: `
+      [
+        {"key":"sdk-ci-test-local","metadata":{"deployed":true,"evaluationMode":"local","flagType":"release","flagVersion":1},"segments":[{"metadata":{"segmentName":"All Other Users"},"variant":"off"}],"variants":{"off":{"key":"off","metadata":{"default":true}},"on":{"key":"on","value":"on"}}},
+    {"key":"sdk-ci-test-local-2","metadata":{"deployed":true,"evaluationMode":"local","flagType":"release","flagVersion":1},"segments":[{"metadata":{"segmentName":"All Other Users"},"variant":"on"}],"variants":{"off":{"key":"off","metadata":{"default":true}},"on":{"key":"on","value":"on"}}}
+  ]
+    `.trim(),
+    });
+    const user: ExperimentUser = { user_id: 'user_id', device_id: 'device_id' };
+    client.setUser(user);
+    let variant = client.variant('sdk-ci-test-local');
+    let variant2 = client.variant('sdk-ci-test-local-2');
+    expect(variant.key).toEqual('off');
+    expect(variant2.key).toEqual('on');
+    // Call start to update the flag, overwrites the initial flag to return on
+    await client.start(user);
+    variant = client.variant('sdk-ci-test-local');
+    variant2 = client.variant('sdk-ci-test-local-2');
+    expect(variant.key).toEqual('on');
+    expect(variant2.key).toEqual('on');
+    // Initialize a second client with the same storage to simulate an app restart
+    const client2 = new ExperimentClient(API_KEY, {
+      fetchOnStart: false,
+    });
+    client2.setUser(user);
+    // Storage flag should take precedent over initial flag
+    variant = client.variant('sdk-ci-test-local');
+    variant2 = client.variant('sdk-ci-test-local-2');
+    expect(variant.key).toEqual('on');
+    expect(variant2.key).toEqual('on');
+  });
 });