A toggle is a switch with two positions: on or off. It is used to enable or disable features in technology devices and software applications. It is a common feature found in many everyday technology devices like smartphones and computers as well as digital tools such as web pages, websites and applications.

In e-commerce, the toggle is often used to test different suggestions for products and services. For example, an e-commerce company could add an experiment toggle to their new product configurator that splits users into two cohorts with a modulo, allowing them to see which algorithm performs better. After the results are conclusive, they can remove the experiment toggle and the preferred algorithm will go live for all users.

Toggles are also commonly used to allow users to customize their experiences with an application by selecting themes such as light or dark. This allows users to tailor the experience to their needs or preferences for readability and aesthetics.

Another way toggles are used is to control the visibility of content on a website or application. This can be useful for minimizing scrolling or making long articles easy to navigate. Toggle elements such as collapsible sections and accordions are common in article content to allow visitors to quickly find the parts of an article that are most relevant to them.

When deployed correctly, toggles can be a valuable tool in code deployment. However, it is important to keep the inventory of toggles low and ensure there is a process for removing old toggles as they become redundant or inactive. Otherwise, the toggles may become a source of confusion for users and exacerbate any performance issues that might arise during high latency periods.