Glossary - shipd

Overview

Each term below has exactly one meaning across the shipd docs, dashboard, CLI, and SDK. If another tool calls it something else, that name is listed under Also called so you can map it — the docs themselves don’t use those names.

Terms

Term	Definition	Also called
Flag	A named value your app reads at runtime: boolean, variant, number, or JSON.	feature flag, feature toggle, switch, gate
Flag definition	A flag’s key, type, variants, description, tags, and lifecycle. Written in `shipd.config.ts`. Shared by every environment in the project.	flag schema
Flag state	Whether a flag is enabled, its targeting rules, and its fallthrough in one environment. Edited in the dashboard.	environment config
Boolean flag	A flag whose value is `true` or `false`. Read with `isEnabled`.	feature gate
Variant flag	A flag whose value is one of a fixed list of strings. Read with `getVariant`.	multivariate flag, experiment
Number flag	A flag whose value is a number. Read with `getNumber`.	numeric config
JSON flag	A flag whose value is any JSON value. Read with `getJson`.	remote config, dynamic config
`shipd.config.ts`	The file that declares your project’s flag definitions with `defineFlags`.	flagfile, manifest
Default	In `shipd.config.ts`: the fallthrough `shipd push` sets in the environment it targets (it resets the fallthrough whenever they differ). In the SDK’s `defaults` option: the value returned when the SDK has no snapshot or the flag isn’t in it.	fallback value
Fallthrough	What an environment serves when no targeting rule matches. Also served, skipping all rules, when the flag is disabled.	default serve, default rule, off variation
Targeting rule	An ordered condition list plus a serve. The first rule whose conditions all match decides the value.	rule, targeting
Serve	The value a rule or fallthrough returns: a fixed value or a weighted serve.	variation, return value
Weighted serve	A serve that splits users across values by percentage, stickily. Used for A/B tests.	percentage split, traffic allocation
Percentage rollout	A rule condition that matches a stable percentage of users, bucketed by flag key and `userId`.	gradual rollout, canary
Audience	A reusable set of conditions defined once per project and referenced from rules. Evaluated locally. The condition kind is `segment`.	segment, cohort
Evaluation context	Who is asking: `userId`, `attributes`, and `segmentIds`. Passed per call or set with `identify`.	user context, user object
Attribute	A key-value pair in the evaluation context, such as `plan: "pro"`. Rules match on attributes.	trait, property, custom attribute
`identify`	An SDK call that sets the user for later evaluations on a client. Its `traits` become attributes.	set user, login context
Evaluation	Computing a flag’s value for a context, in memory, from a snapshot.	flag check
Local evaluation	shipd’s model: the SDK evaluates in your process, never over the network.	in-process evaluation
Snapshot	The JSON document containing everything needed to evaluate every flag in one environment. Versioned per environment.	ruleset, config payload
Organization	Your company account: members, roles, billing, SSO.	tenant, account
Project	A product or codebase inside an organization. Owns flag definitions.	app, workspace
Environment	A deployment target inside a project, such as `development` or `production`. Owns flag state, SDK keys, and a snapshot. At most one per project is marked production.	stage
SDK key	A credential that lets an SDK download one environment’s snapshot. `shipd_sdk_server_…` or `shipd_sdk_client_…`.	client-side ID, mobile key, SDK token
Management API key	A personal credential for the CLI and API, bound to one organization, project, and environment. `shipd_mgmt_…`. Created by `shipd login`.	personal API key, access token
Service account token	A credential for CI and automation with explicit scopes. `shipd_sa_…`.	bot token, CI token
Push	`shipd push`: apply `shipd.config.ts` to shipd, then generate types.	deploy, sync
Pull	`shipd pull`: rewrite `shipd.config.ts` from shipd.	export
Archive	Remove a flag from use without deleting its history. Archived flags leave the snapshot.	delete
Approval policy	A rule that requires review before certain flag state changes apply.	change request, four-eyes
Edge	The globally distributed service SDKs download snapshots from: `https://edge.useshipd.com`.	CDN, data plane, relay
Control plane	The API, dashboard, and database where you define and change flags: `https://api.useshipd.com`.	management API, backend