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Version: 2.0.0

Java - 5 Minute Test

Get Featureflow running in your Java application in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites​

If you haven't already, create a free Featureflow account. New accounts include a default project with test and production environments, plus an example feature.

1. Clone the Example Project​

git clone https://github.com/featureflow/featureflow-fiveminute-java.git
cd featureflow-fiveminute-java

2. Add Your API Key​

Edit HelloWorld.java and replace the placeholder with your Server Environment API Key.

On your project page, find the Environments section and click the key icon next to your environment:

Project Environments

Copy the Server SDK API Key (starts with sdk-srv-env-):

API Keys Modal

Update the code:

FeatureFlowClient client = new FeatureFlowClient.Builder("srv-env-YOUR_API_KEY")

3. Get the Feature Key​

The example uses example-feature. You can find feature keys in the Features section of your project:

Features List

The feature key is shown in the KEY column (e.g., my-new-feature, example-feature).

4. Build and Run​

./mvnw clean compile assembly:single
java -jar target/featureflow-fiveminute-java-1.0.0-SNAPSHOT-jar-with-dependencies.jar

With the default configuration, you should see:

The variant is not on!

5. Toggle the Feature​

In the Featureflow dashboard, enable the example-feature in your environment. The application will receive the update in real-time:

Received a control update event: example-feature variant: on

Congratulations! You've successfully integrated Featureflow.

Going Further: User Targeting​

Want to target features to specific users? Try the HelloWorldWithUser example.

1. Update the Main Class​

Edit pom.xml to use HelloWorldWithUser:

<plugin>
  <artifactId>maven-assembly-plugin</artifactId>
  <configuration>
    <archive>
      <manifest>
        <mainClass>HelloWorldWithUser</mainClass>
      </manifest>
    </archive>
    <descriptorRefs>
      <descriptorRef>jar-with-dependencies</descriptorRef>
    </descriptorRefs>
  </configuration>
</plugin>

2. Add Your API Key​

Update HelloWorldWithUser.java with your Server API Key.

3. Build and Run​

./mvnw clean compile assembly:single
java -jar target/featureflow-fiveminute-java-1.0.0-SNAPSHOT-jar-with-dependencies.jar

The new-feature will be automatically registered in Featureflow.

4. Create a Targeting Rule​

In Featureflow:

  1. Click Update Rules for example-feature
  2. Click Add Rule
  3. Set: IF user_role equals admin → show variant on
  4. Set the default (ELSE) to variant off

Feature Targeting

Since the example user has an admin role, the feature will be enabled. Change the role to standard_user in the code and rerun — the feature will be disabled.

5. Add Custom Variants​

You can add more variants beyond on/off:

  1. Click the feature name to edit settings
  2. Click Add Variant and create an enhanced variant
  3. Update rules to show enhanced to pvt_tester users
FeatureflowUser user = new FeatureflowUser("flo@example.com")
    .withAttribute("age", 32)
    .withAttribute("signup_date", new DateTime(2017, 1, 1, 12, 0, 0, 0))
    .withStringAttributes("user_role", Arrays.asList("pvt_tester"))
    .withAttribute("tier", "gold");

Next Steps​