Review Apps provide a collaborative and easy-to-use environment for showcasing and validating product changes and play an essential part in Progressive Delivery (which is basically a more advanced version of CI/CD). They branch to their corresponding environment and access is given via a link during the merge request relevant to the branch.
In the context of Progressive Delivery, these tools open up a whole new world of possibilities. Typically, Progressive Delivery processes use targeted feature flags to verify changes before they are deployed to production. A review app can serve as a request-based window into the changes that are being considered for release if it points to production data/endpoints instead of ephemeral data.
The Review App is a necessity when it comes to fast feedback and iteration. All it takes is the Review app URL for designers, product managers, and other internal stakeholders to participate in the discussion around a pull request. You can even share Review app URLs with outside clients before merging pull requests so they can vet and approve designs and features.
Yes, Review apps are not a replacement for feature flags in a Progressive Delivery pipeline, but they are a fantastic complement that allows segmented validation on a whole new level.
Convinced? Check out GitLab and Heroku, the two most popular platforms for using Review apps.
👋 We are big fans of Review apps and have helped dozens of companies integrate them into their infrastructure. Say hi at hello@devolut.io and cut time to market with Review apps.