Unleash
Feature flag service with a web UI and SDKs for rolling out features.
- Replaces
-
Paid feature flag services, such as LaunchDarkly.
All open-source alternatives to LaunchDarkly
- Difficulty
-
Difficulty: Easy
2 services (1 database or broker: postgres), 0 volume mounts, no env values to set, no elevated host access. Heuristic score 2 of 11: easy.
- Stack
TypeScript (language), PostgreSQL (database)
- Deployment
docker_compose
- Requirements
Not stated.
- License
-
AGPL-3.0(OSI-approved open source) - Business model
-
Unknown
The README at the pinned commit does not state a business model, so it stays unknown.
Source: github.com/Unleash/unleash/blob/64a2694/README.md, read on .
- Repository
GitHub stats
- Stars
- 13,894
- Forks
- 910
- Open issues and pull requests
- 36
- Last push
- 2026-10-22
- Latest release
- v8.2.1
- Released
- 2026-10-22
From the GitHub API on . These numbers are a snapshot, not live. GitHub detected the license as AGPL-3.0.
Compose file
# This docker compose setup configures:
# - the Unleash server instance + the necessary backing Postgres database
#
# To learn more about all the parts of Unleash, visit
# https://docs.getunleash.io/get-started/unleash-overview
#
# NOTE: please do not use this configuration for production setups.
# Unleash does not take responsibility for any data leaks or other
# problems that may arise as a result.
#
# This is intended to be used for demo, development, and learning
# purposes only.
services:
# The Unleash server contains the Unleash configuration and
# communicates with client SDKs and Unleash Edge
web:
image: unleashorg/unleash-server:latest
ports:
- "4242:4242"
environment:
# This points Unleash to its backing database (defined in the `db` section below)
DATABASE_URL: "postgres://postgres:unleash@db/db"
# Disable SSL for database connections.
DATABASE_SSL: "false"
# Changing log levels:
LOG_LEVEL: "warn"
INIT_FRONTEND_API_TOKENS: "default:development.unleash-insecure-frontend-api-token"
# The default API token is insecure and should not be used in production.
INIT_BACKEND_API_TOKENS: "default:development.unleash-insecure-api-token"
depends_on:
db:
condition: service_healthy
healthcheck:
test: wget --no-verbose --tries=1 --spider http://localhost:4242/health || exit 1
interval: 1s
timeout: 1m
retries: 5
start_period: 15s
db:
expose:
- "5432"
image: postgres:15
environment:
# create a database called `db`
POSTGRES_DB: "db"
# trust incoming connections blindly (DON'T DO THIS IN PRODUCTION!)
POSTGRES_HOST_AUTH_METHOD: "trust"
healthcheck:
test:
[
"CMD",
"pg_isready",
"--username=postgres",
"--host=127.0.0.1",
"--port=5432"
]
interval: 2s
timeout: 1m
retries: 5
start_period: 10s
From the app's own repository: github.com/Unleash/unleash/blob/64a2694/docker-compose.yml.
Compose file from the app repository.
Install
- Docker with the Compose plugin (github.com/Unleash/unleash/blob/64a2694/docker-compose.yml)
A host with Docker and the Docker Compose plugin. This entry runs from a compose file.
- Save the compose file as docker-compose.yml (github.com/Unleash/unleash/blob/64a2694/docker-compose.yml)
Use the compose file shown above.
- Start it (github.com/Unleash/unleash/blob/64a2694/docker-compose.yml)
docker compose up -d - Open the app (github.com/Unleash/unleash/blob/64a2694/docker-compose.yml)
Open http://localhost:4242. The compose file publishes host port 4242 for the web service.
Compose file check: config_ok on 2026-10-22.
Gotchas and maintenance
Gotchas
- Some images use the latest tag or no tag. Images without a pinned version: web: unleashorg/unleash-server:latest. A later pull can get a different version. (github.com/Unleash/unleash/blob/64a2694/docker-compose.yml, checked 2026-10-22)
- The compose file publishes host ports. Host ports: 4242 (web). A port without a host address listens on all host network interfaces. (github.com/Unleash/unleash/blob/64a2694/docker-compose.yml, checked 2026-10-22)
Signals
- Open issues and pull requests: 36
- Last push: 2026-10-22 (0 days before this page was built)
- Latest release: v8.2.1 on 2026-10-22 (0 days before this page was built)