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Kasun Ranasinghe edited this page Sep 8, 2025 · 1 revision

Client Management Guide

This guide covers the client management system in the Flux Gate, which handles external applications and services that consume feature toggle configurations.

🎯 Overview

Clients represent external applications, services, or systems that connect to the Flux Gate system to retrieve feature configurations. The client management system provides authentication, configuration, and monitoring capabilities for these integrations.

🔐 Access Requirements

Client management is available to users with appropriate permissions:

  • Admin: Full client management across all teams
  • Team Members: Can manage clients within their assigned teams
  • Team Admin: Client management within team scope

📋 Client Concept

What are Clients?

Clients are external systems that integrate with the Feature Toggle system:

  • Applications: Web apps, mobile apps, desktop applications
  • Services: Microservices, APIs, background services
  • Infrastructure: Load balancers, proxies, CDN configurations
  • Testing Tools: Automated testing systems, CI/CD pipelines

Client Properties

Each client has:

Property Description
Client ID Unique identifier for the client
Name Human-readable client name
Description Purpose and details about the client
API Keys Authentication credentials
Team Scope Associated team for access control
Status Active/inactive status

📋 Client Management Interface

Accessing Client Management

  1. Navigation: Go to Clients page
  2. Clients Table: View all clients for your teams
  3. Actions: Create, edit, and manage clients

Clients Table

The clients table displays:

Column Description
Name Client name/identifier
Description Client purpose or description
Status Active/inactive status
API Key Client authentication key
Actions Edit, configure, manage client

➕ Creating New Clients

Client Creation Process

  1. Navigate: Go to Clients page
  2. Create Button: Click "Create New Client"
  3. Client Form: Fill out client creation form

Client Creation Form

Field Required Description
Name ✅ Descriptive client name
Description ❌ Purpose and details about the client
Client Type ❌ Application type (Web, Mobile, Service, etc.)

Example Client Creation

Name: Web Application Frontend
Description: Main web application frontend client for user-facing features
Client Type: Web Application

Name: Mobile iOS App
Description: iOS mobile application client for feature toggle integration
Client Type: Mobile Application

Name: Payment Service API
Description: Backend payment processing service requiring feature flags
Client Type: Microservice

Creation Process

  1. Basic Information: Enter client name and description
  2. Client Configuration: Set client type and properties
  3. API Key Generation: System generates unique API key
  4. Team Assignment: Assign client to appropriate team
  5. Save Client: Create and activate the client

🔑 Client Authentication

API Key Management

Each client receives authentication credentials:

API Key Properties

Property Description
Key Value Unique authentication string
Creation Date When the key was generated
Last Used Most recent authentication timestamp
Status Active/revoked status

API Key Security

  • Unique Generation: Cryptographically secure key generation
  • Secure Storage: Keys stored securely in the system
  • Rotation Support: Keys can be rotated for security
  • Access Logging: API key usage is logged and monitored

Authentication Flow

Client authentication follows standard patterns:

  1. API Key: Client includes API key in requests
  2. Validation: Server validates key against client database
  3. Authorization: Check client permissions and team access
  4. Feature Access: Provide feature configurations for client's team
  5. Logging: Record access for monitoring and auditing

🔧 Client Configuration

Client Settings

Clients can be configured with various settings:

Basic Configuration

Setting Description Options
Status Client activation status Active, Inactive
Description Client purpose documentation Text description
Team Assignment Associated team Team selection

Advanced Configuration

Setting Description Purpose
Rate Limiting Request rate limits Prevent abuse
Feature Filtering Limit feature access Security control
Environment Scope Restrict environments Environment isolation
Cache Settings Response caching Performance optimization

✏️ Editing Clients

Client Edit Interface

  1. Clients Table: Find client to edit
  2. Edit Action: Click edit button in actions column
  3. Edit Form: Modify client properties

Editable Properties

Basic Information

  • Name: Update client name/identifier
  • Description: Modify client purpose description
  • Status: Enable/disable client access

Security Settings

  • API Key Rotation: Generate new API key
  • Access Permissions: Modify client permissions
  • Team Assignment: Change team association

Configuration Settings

  • Environment Access: Control environment visibility
  • Feature Filtering: Limit feature access
  • Rate Limiting: Adjust request limits

📊 Client Monitoring

Client Activity Tracking

Monitor client usage and performance:

Usage Metrics

Metric Description
Request Count Number of API requests
Feature Requests Feature configuration requests
Error Rate Failed request percentage
Response Time Average API response time

Access Patterns

Pattern Description
Peak Usage High-traffic time periods
Feature Popularity Most requested features
Environment Distribution Usage across environments
Geographic Distribution Client location patterns

Client Health Monitoring

Track client system health:

  • Connection Status: Active/inactive connection status
  • Last Activity: Most recent client activity
  • Error Patterns: Common error types and frequencies
  • Performance Trends: Response time and throughput trends

🔄 Client Integration

Integration Patterns

Common client integration patterns:

Polling Pattern

// Client polls for feature updates
setInterval(async () => {
  const features = await fetchFeatures(apiKey);
  updateLocalFeatureCache(features);
}, 30000); // Poll every 30 seconds

Webhook Pattern

// Server pushes updates to client
app.post('/feature-updates', (req, res) => {
  const updatedFeatures = req.body;
  updateFeatureCache(updatedFeatures);
  res.status(200).send('OK');
});

SDK Integration

// Using feature toggle SDK
import { FeatureToggleClient } from 'feature-toggle-sdk';

const client = new FeatureToggleClient({
  apiKey: 'your-client-api-key',
  environment: 'production'
});

const isFeatureEnabled = await client.isEnabled('new-checkout-flow');

Client SDK Configuration

Configure clients using SDKs:

JavaScript/TypeScript SDK

const config = {
  apiKey: process.env.FEATURE_TOGGLE_API_KEY,
  baseUrl: 'https://feature-toggle.company.com',
  environment: process.env.NODE_ENV,
  pollingInterval: 30000,
  cacheEnabled: true
};

Mobile SDK Configuration

// iOS Swift example
let config = FeatureToggleConfig(
    apiKey: "your-api-key",
    environment: "production",
    pollingInterval: 30.0
)

🚨 Client Security

Security Best Practices

Implement proper client security:

API Key Security

  • Secure Storage: Store API keys securely (environment variables, secure vaults)
  • Rotation: Regularly rotate API keys
  • Scope Limitation: Limit key permissions to minimum required
  • Monitoring: Monitor API key usage for anomalies

Network Security

  • HTTPS Only: Always use HTTPS for API communication
  • IP Whitelisting: Restrict access to known IP ranges
  • Rate Limiting: Implement request rate limiting
  • DDoS Protection: Protect against denial of service attacks

Data Security

  • Encryption: Encrypt sensitive feature data
  • Access Logging: Log all client access attempts
  • Audit Trails: Maintain detailed audit logs
  • Data Minimization: Only provide necessary feature data

🔧 Client Administration

Client Lifecycle Management

  1. Registration: Create new client with appropriate configuration
  2. Configuration: Set up client permissions and settings
  3. Integration: Implement client-side integration code
  4. Testing: Validate client integration in test environments
  5. Production: Deploy client to production environment
  6. Monitoring: Track client performance and usage
  7. Maintenance: Update configuration as needed
  8. Retirement: Safely remove unused clients

Client Maintenance Tasks

Regular maintenance activities:

  • Performance Review: Monitor client performance metrics
  • Security Audits: Review client access patterns and security
  • Configuration Updates: Update client settings as needed
  • Key Rotation: Rotate API keys according to security policies

Bulk Operations

Manage multiple clients efficiently:

  • Bulk Status Changes: Enable/disable multiple clients
  • Batch Key Rotation: Rotate keys for multiple clients
  • Configuration Templates: Apply standard configurations
  • Team Transfers: Move clients between teams

🚨 Troubleshooting

Common Client Issues

Authentication Failed

Error: Invalid API key

Solution: Verify API key is correct and client is active.

Access Denied

Error: Client not authorized for this feature

Solution: Check client team assignment and feature permissions.

Rate Limited

Error: Too many requests

Solution: Implement request throttling or increase rate limits.

Integration Issues

Feature Not Found

Error: Feature not available for client

Solution: Verify feature exists and client has access to feature's team.

Configuration Errors

Error: Invalid client configuration

Solution: Review client settings and fix configuration errors.

Network Connectivity

Error: Cannot connect to feature toggle service

Solution: Check network connectivity and service availability.

💡 Best Practices

Client Design

  1. Descriptive Naming: Use clear, descriptive client names
  2. Proper Scoping: Assign clients to appropriate teams
  3. Documentation: Document client purpose and integration details
  4. Environment Separation: Use separate clients for different environments

Security Practices

  1. Key Management: Implement secure API key management
  2. Access Control: Limit client permissions to minimum required
  3. Monitoring: Monitor client access and usage patterns
  4. Incident Response: Have procedures for security incidents

Integration Strategy

  1. SDK Usage: Use official SDKs when available
  2. Caching: Implement local feature caching for performance
  3. Fallback Behavior: Define behavior when service is unavailable
  4. Error Handling: Implement robust error handling

Performance Optimization

  1. Efficient Polling: Use appropriate polling intervals
  2. Conditional Requests: Use ETags or similar for conditional requests
  3. Compression: Enable response compression
  4. Connection Pooling: Reuse connections when possible

🔗 Related Documentation

Need help? Check the Troubleshooting guide or create an issue in the project repository.

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