Glossary
Welcome to the Harness Glossary! This page is a work in progress. If you have feedback or terms to define, click the Feedback button.
A
assignment source
A data source that defines how users are assigned to different variations in an experiment. In Warehouse Native, this data is typically stored in your data warehouse.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: cloud experimentation, data warehouse, experiment
B
binary files
Executable program files produced after compiling source code (for example, Go or Java). OpenTofu or Terraform uses these binaries to interact with your infrastructure.
Infrastructure as Code Management
Related terms: checksum file, custom provider, gpg key
C
checksum file
A file listing SHA-256 hashes for each binary you plan to publish. The registry uses this to verify file integrity.
Infrastructure as Code Management
Related terms: binary files, custom provider, gpg key
cloud experimentation
A method of running feature management experiments using a cloud-based service provided by Harness FME, which handles data collection, analysis, and reporting.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: assignment source, data warehouse, experiment
custom provider
An OpenTofu or Terraform provider built and maintained by your organization, usually for internal APIs or services not available in the public registry.
Infrastructure as Code Management
Related terms: binary files, checksum file, gpg key
D
data warehouse
A centralized repository for storing and managing large volumes of structured and semi-structured data. Examples include Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, and Databricks.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: assignment source, cloud experimentation, experiment
E
evaluation api
The Evaluation API is the main interface developers use to interact with feature flags. It enables applications to evaluate feature flags and adapt behavior based on the results, while supporting customization and integration with additional tools.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: evaluation context, events, feature flag
evaluation context
The Evaluation Context holds contextual information used during flag evaluation. It can include static data (like application or host identifiers) and dynamic data (such as a client IP address), which can be passed explicitly or propagated automatically. Static and dynamic values can be merged for richer, more targeted evaluations.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: evaluation api, events, feature flag
events
Events allow your application to respond to changes in provider state or flag configuration, such as readiness changes, errors, or updates to flag values.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: evaluation api, evaluation context, feature flag
experiment
A controlled test to evaluate the impact of different variations on user behavior or system performance. In Warehouse Native, experiments are defined in Harness FME.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: assignment source, cloud experimentation, data warehouse
F
feature flag
A feature flag is a conditional toggle in Harness FME that enables or disables specific functionality without deploying new code. It allows for controlled feature rollouts, A/B testing, and quick rollbacks if issues arise.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: evaluation api, evaluation context, events
G
gpg key
A cryptographic key used to verify the authenticity and integrity of files. In this case, it ensures provider binaries have not been tampered with.
Infrastructure as Code Management
Related terms: binary files, checksum file, custom provider
H
hook
Hooks let you inject custom behavior at various points in the flag evaluation lifecycle. They can be used for validation, modifying the evaluation context, logging, telemetry, or custom functionality to extend the SDK.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: evaluation api, evaluation context, events
I
init
OpenTofu/Terraform command used to initialize a configuration. It downloads and configures providers, modules, and other dependencies.
Infrastructure as Code Management
M
metric
A metric measures events that are sent to Harness FME and can count the occurrence of events, measure event values, or measure event properties. Metrics are used to evaluate the impact of feature flags and experiments on user behavior and system performance.
Feature Management & Experimentation
metric
A quantifiable measure used to track and assess the performance of a specific aspect of an experiment. In Warehouse Native, metrics are defined in Harness FME.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: assignment source, cloud experimentation, data warehouse
metric source
A data source that defines how metrics are collected and calculated for an experiment. In Warehouse Native, this data is typically stored in your data warehouse.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: assignment source, cloud experimentation, data warehouse
multiple platforms
Supported platforms include Darwin/macOS (arm64, amd64), Linux (amd64), and Windows (amd64).
Infrastructure as Code Management
Related terms: binary files, checksum file, custom provider
P
pipeline
A pipeline is a sequence of stages that define how services are deployed to an environment. Pipelines can include approvals, barriers, notifications, and other execution logic.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: custom stage, stage, step
provider
An OpenFeature Provider wraps the Harness FME SDK, acting as a bridge between the OpenFeature SDK and the FME SDK. It translates OpenFeature function calls into operations handled by the FME SDK, which communicates with Harness services to evaluate flags and retrieve configuration updates.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: evaluation api, evaluation context, events
S
segment
Segments are groups of users defined by specific attributes or behaviors. They allow you to target feature flags and experiments to specific subsets of your user base.
Feature Management & Experimentation
signature file
A detached signature produced by signing the checksum file with your GPG private key. The public key is used to verify authenticity.
Infrastructure as Code Management
Related terms: binary files, checksum file, custom provider
stage
A stage represents a discrete phase of a pipeline, such as testing, experimentation, or production rollout. You can add FME steps to any Custom stage, whether newly created or existing.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: custom stage, pipeline, step
step
A step is an individual action within a stage. FME steps include operations such as creating or updating a feature flag, modifying rollout behavior, or killing a flag.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: custom stage, pipeline, stage
T
targeting key
A unique identifier used to target specific users or entities when evaluating feature flags. It helps determine which variation of a flag should be served based on predefined rules and conditions.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: evaluation api, evaluation context, events
W
warehouse native
A method of running feature management experiments directly within your data warehouse, leveraging its processing power and existing data infrastructure.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Related terms: assignment source, cloud experimentation, data warehouse
workspace
A workspace is a one-to-one mapping of your infrastructure state. It is used to store and manage your infrastructure state in Harness IaCM.
Infrastructure as Code Management