LaunchDarkly to "double down" on observability with Highlight acquisition
Highlight's observability tools will be integrated into LaunchDarkly's Guarded Releases software deployment service


Feature management specialist LaunchDarkly has announced the acquisition of open-source observability platform, Highlight.
Highlight's full-stack application monitoring platform equips organizations with error monitoring, logging, distributed tracing, and session replay capabilities.
On the acquisition, LaunchDarkly said it is "doubling down on observability" by integrating Highlight's tools into its own feature management platform, which is designed to enable software and AI development teams ship faster while de-risking their releases.
Specifically, the addition will strengthen the firm's Guarded Releases software delivery service, which automates monitoring, controls, and rollbacks into the software release process to reduce risk.
LaunchDarkly said it hopes the acquisition will see Guarded Releases become the "new industry standard" as engineering teams increasingly seek greater control over risk and reliability.
Post-acquisition, Highlight's team will join the business, including company co-founders Jay Khatri and Vadim Korolik. LaunchDarkly said its expertise in observability and scalable infrastructure will help "accelerate innovation" within its feature management platform.
Guarded Releases
Guarded Releases enable development teams to deploy incrementally, monitor impact in real time, reduce risk, as well as leverage performance insights. LaunchDarkly said the acquisition of Highlight deepens Guarded Releases' range of capabilities, while enabling greater support for business and industries in the battle to reduce unplanned tech and systems outages.
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The software delivery offering will benefit from error monitoring capabilities including real-time detection, tracking, and alerting on application errors to enable engineers to pinpoint issues instantly, reduce downtime, and bolster system stability.
Users can also leverage high-speed scalable log analysis for observability, as well as end-to-end performance insights across distributed systems for visibility into dependencies, latencies, and bottlenecks.
Additionally, the session replay tool allows for high-fidelity, pixel-perfect video replays of user interactions to help developers diagnose issues with full visual and contextual data.
"Guarded Releases represent the next evolution in software development, ensuring that new features are delivered safely and effectively," commented Dan Rogers, CEO of LaunchDarkly. "By integrating Highlight's robust observability tools, we can equip teams with real-time insights to deploy features confidently, reducing risk while accelerating innovation."
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Dan is a freelance writer and regular contributor to ChannelPro, covering the latest news stories across the IT, technology, and channel landscapes. Topics regularly cover cloud technologies, cyber security, software and operating system guides, and the latest mergers and acquisitions.
A journalism graduate from Leeds Beckett University, he combines a passion for the written word with a keen interest in the latest technology and its influence in an increasingly connected world.
He started writing for ChannelPro back in 2016, focusing on a mixture of news and technology guides, before becoming a regular contributor to ITPro. Elsewhere, he has previously written news and features across a range of other topics, including sport, music, and general news.