### Schedule timing
* **Start**: choose **Immediately** to begin as soon as the rule is published, or **On date** to delay activation. The rule stays disabled until the start date.
* **Duration**: the total length of the ramp. In **Simple View** you set it directly and GrowthBook spaces the steps to fit; in **Advanced View** it shows a computed summary of your steps, such as "\~5d + monitored steps".
* **Disable on date**: click **+ Disable on date** to set an optional date that turns the rule off whether or not the ramp has finished. Use it for time-boxed rules.
### Lock feature while running
Turn on **Lock feature while running** to block publishing other draft changes to the feature while the ramp is actively progressing. This keeps manual edits from competing with the schedule.
| Status | Meaning |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `pending` | Created but not yet armed. Publish the revision to start. |
| `ready` | Armed and waiting for the start date. |
| `running` | Actively advancing through steps. |
| `paused` | Halted by a user or a `hold` health action. Resume to continue. |
| `completed` | All steps applied and the end state set. |
| `rolled-back` | Returned to the pre-ramp state. |
From the UI or API you can start, pause, resume, manually advance, jump to a specific step, approve a gated step, roll back to the pre-ramp state, or restart a finished schedule. Every transition is recorded in the schedule's event history.
## Templates
Use **Save as template** to store a schedule's steps and end state as a **Ramp Schedule Template** and reuse them across features. Apply a template when you create a schedule to inherit its steps, then override any of them as needed.
## Managing via the API
Ramp Schedules have a full REST API under `/ramp-schedules`. This example attaches a three-step ramp to an existing rule, with the final step gated on approval:
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.growthbook.io/api/v1/ramp-schedules \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"name": "Checkout v2 rollout",
"featureId": "checkout-v2",
"ruleId": "fr_abc123",
"steps": [
{ "interval": 3600, "actions": [{ "patch": { "coverage": 0.1 } }] },
{ "interval": 86400, "actions": [{ "patch": { "coverage": 0.5 } }] },
{ "interval": null, "holdConditions": { "requiresApproval": true },
"actions": [{ "patch": { "coverage": 1.0 } }] }
]
}'
```
When you pass both `featureId` and `ruleId`, GrowthBook fills in the target on every action, so you only supply the fields you want to change. See the [API reference](/api) for the full set of endpoints and lifecycle actions.
## What's next
* [Safe Rollouts](/features/safe-rollouts): a Ramp Schedule with guardrail monitoring.
* [Rules](/features/rules): choose the right rule type before adding a schedule.
* [Publishing and approval flows](/features/publishing-and-approval-flows): gate rule changes on reviewer approval.