The HappyKit service ended on May 30th at 12:00pm Pacific Time.
A personal note
When I started HappyKit in 2020 my insight for HappyKit was that Next.js is enabling a paradigm shift. Existing feature flag SDKs were written for specific programming languages, but modern applications seamlessly combine static pages, dynamic pages and anything in between.
They need to integrate at the framework level, not at the programming language level.
What drew many to HappyKit, besides its simple UI, is that it was written for Next.js.
I put a lot of effort into supporting the various rendering modes, so feature flags can seamlessly transition from the server to the client, without any layout shift. This got the attention of startups, enterprises and VCs alike, leading to billions of flags evaluated and over 1k stars for the package.
It also got the attention of Vercel who invited me to join in 2021.
Leading the feature flag efforts at Vercel would allow me to have industry wide impact, so joining the triangle company was a no brainer. This led to the creation of multiple tools to support all flag providers across the industry: Edge Config, Flags Explorer, Flags SDK and listing third-party providers on Vercel Marketplace.
We’re making Vercel the best home for any applications using feature flags.
No matter which provider.
This new role left me with little time to evolve HappyKit.
When FaunaDB, the database I chose at the time, recently announced their service will shut down altogether I was faced with a hard decision. Migrating all customer data and rewriting the application away from their custom query language would be a huge effort.
Unfortunately, with FaunaDB soon no longer being available, it has become necessary to wind down HappyKit's operations.
I want to thank everyone who has supported and used HappyKit, and am grateful for the many friendly calls with customers. Some of you even turned into colleagues and friends. The journey has been incredible, and your enthusiasm for my project has meant the world to me.
Thank you for being part of HappyKit’s story.
— Dominik
