Document agentless Feature Flags delivery for Node.js by leoromanovsky · Pull Request #38231 · DataDog/documentation

leoromanovsky · 2026-07-16T18:34:31Z

Motivation

The upcoming Node.js Feature Flags releases add a Datadog-managed CDN configuration source that does not require a Datadog Agent. The documentation currently presents Agent Remote Configuration as the server SDK delivery path and describes no-Agent serverless delivery as unsupported.

Customers need the new default explained before adopting the releases, including exact minimum versions and the initial limitation that no-Agent deployments do not deliver exposure or aggregate flagevaluation events.

Related implementation: DataDog/dd-trace-js#9397

Changes

Add a Server SDK Configuration Sources concept page and surface it in the Server SDK navigation.
Revise the Server SDK overview and serverless guidance to present agentless configuration delivery as the default for supported Node.js versions.
Document the held release minimums: Node.js v5 5.116.0 and Node.js v6 6.5.0.
Add agentless and explicit Agent Remote Configuration setup details to the Node.js page.
Keep Java and other server SDKs on their existing Agent Remote Configuration documentation.
State consistently that the initial Node.js agentless releases support configuration delivery and local flag evaluation, but not agentless exposure or aggregate flagevaluation event delivery.

Input needed from reviewers

The code snippets have been extensively validated; your 2nd pass is appreciated.
*** Presenting the information in parallel with RC and the organization is the principal help needed.**

github-actions · 2026-07-16T18:39:07Z

Preview links (active after the `build_preview` check completes)

New or renamed files

https://docs-staging.datadoghq.com/leo.romanovsky/agentless-feature-flags-docs/feature_flags/concepts/configuration_sources

Modified Files

leoromanovsky · 2026-07-22T15:50:09Z

/review

github-actions

🤖 Automated review by Claude. AI-generated; verify before acting.

Style and consistency findings only — no blockers. New page is well-structured and adds needed content. Main issues: inconsistent capitalization of the product name Remote Configuration in several headings, capitalization of "agentless" in headings, an em-dash formatting mismatch, one ambiguous reference to a future release, and a potentially confusing "Node.js 5.116.0" (this is a dd-trace version, not a Node.js runtime version).

_{Reviewed 558b4e2bd7793fe98b55094028af52db9c25b5d9 — workflow run}

leoromanovsky · 2026-07-22T16:19:44Z

/review

github-actions

🤖 Automated review by Claude. AI-generated; verify before acting.

Content is well-structured and clearly explains the new agentless delivery mode. A few small issues: two unused reference-link definitions, one hyphenation inconsistency with feature_flags/_index.md, and a couple of clarity nits.

_{Reviewed b18c59f489aadfdff1a4e279836605130e5dc967 — workflow run}

joepeeples · 2026-07-22T17:42:48Z

Opened DOCS-15171 to follow up with editorial review.

aarsilv

Approving with some minor suggestions about changes that happened while pairing. I'll submit a commit that updates.

aarsilv · 2026-07-23T03:17:55Z

+
+### Enable or disable feature flags
+
+`DD_FEATURE_FLAGS_ENABLED` defaults to `true`, so new setups do not need to set it. Set it to `false` to disable the provider and both configuration delivery paths:


Perhaps we should highlight that disabling the provider will result in the code-provided defaults being served for all assignment requests, with a STATIC reason code.

aarsilv · 2026-07-23T03:18:40Z

+- With the default agentless source, CDN polling starts only when application code initializes or accesses the Datadog OpenFeature provider.
+- Explicitly selecting `remote_config` starts the Agent Feature Flags subscription. It does not require application code to initialize the provider.


❤️ Appreciate the clarity

aarsilv · 2026-07-23T03:19:36Z

+- With the default agentless source, CDN polling starts only when application code initializes or accesses the Datadog OpenFeature provider.
+- Explicitly selecting `remote_config` starts the Agent Feature Flags subscription. It does not require application code to initialize the provider.
+
+### Configuration precedence


aarsilv · 2026-07-23T03:20:09Z

+
+Configure the API key on the Agent, not in the application process. If Remote Configuration has been disabled on the Agent, re-enable it. See [Remote Configuration][1] for Agent setup and network requirements.
+
+### Migrate an existing Remote Configuration setup


leoromanovsky · 2026-07-23T03:32:21Z

Approving with some minor suggestions about changes that happened while pairing. I'll submit a commit that updates.

@aarsilv I wrote this document taking into account two commits now in review and the decisions I made with Ruben assuming they would land and are part of the specification. Please take a read of them and review whether the documentation still matches.

Document that the SDK sends the DD-API-KEY header to custom endpoints and that HTTP is permitted only for loopback hosts, matching shipped dd-trace 5.116.0/6.5.0 behavior. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Restores content/en/feature_flags/concepts/configuration_sources.md and content/en/feature_flags/server/nodejs.md to their state before a45a054. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs(feature-flags): document default agentless delivery

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github-actions Bot added the Architecture Everything related to the Doc backend label Jul 16, 2026

docs(feature-flags): clarify activation and RC migration

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leoromanovsky added 2 commits July 17, 2026 21:10

docs(feature-flags): simplify agentless setup

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Merge master and scope agentless docs to Node.js

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leoromanovsky changed the title ~~Document agentless Feature Flags delivery for Java and Node.js~~ Document agentless Feature Flags delivery for Node.js Jul 22, 2026

docs: align Node.js agentless configuration guidance

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github-actions Bot added the Guide Content impacting a guide label Jul 22, 2026

github-actions Bot reviewed Jul 22, 2026

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leoromanovsky commented Jul 22, 2026

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leoromanovsky added 2 commits July 22, 2026 10:11

docs: address agentless review feedback

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docs: clarify agentless CDN availability

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docs: address follow-up agentless feedback

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leoromanovsky marked this pull request as ready for review July 22, 2026 16:46

leoromanovsky requested a review from a team as a code owner July 22, 2026 16:46

leoromanovsky requested a review from aarsilv July 22, 2026 16:46

joepeeples added the editorial review Waiting on a more in-depth review label Jul 22, 2026

aarsilv approved these changes Jul 23, 2026

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aarsilv and others added 2 commits July 22, 2026 23:49

Revert custom-endpoint API key and HTTP guidance to prior wording

c1e5b48

Restores content/en/feature_flags/concepts/configuration_sources.md and content/en/feature_flags/server/nodejs.md to their state before a45a054. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>


		### Enable or disable feature flags

		`DD_FEATURE_FLAGS_ENABLED` defaults to `true`, so new setups do not need to set it. Set it to `false` to disable the provider and both configuration delivery paths:

		- With the default agentless source, CDN polling starts only when application code initializes or accesses the Datadog OpenFeature provider.
		- Explicitly selecting `remote_config` starts the Agent Feature Flags subscription. It does not require application code to initialize the provider.


		Configure the API key on the Agent, not in the application process. If Remote Configuration has been disabled on the Agent, re-enable it. See [Remote Configuration][1] for Agent setup and network requirements.

		### Migrate an existing Remote Configuration setup

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leoromanovsky commented Jul 16, 2026 •

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