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Individual targeting

Read time: 4 minutes
Last edited: Apr 10, 2024

Overview

This topic explains how to use a flag's Targeting tab to control which individual contexts receive a variation of a feature flag, based on the context key.

Assign individual contexts to a variation

You can assign individual contexts to a particular flag variation based on the context key. You can target individual users or any custom context kind that exists in your project.

To assign contexts to a flag variation:

  1. Navigate to the flag's Targeting tab.
  2. Click the + Add rules button and select "Target individuals":
The "+ Add rules" menu, with "Target individuals" called out.
The "+ Add rules" menu, with "Target individuals" called out.
  1. Find the variation you want to target individual contexts with.
  • By default, the context kind is "user."
  • To update this, click Edit context. In the "Select context kinds" dialog, choose one or more context kinds and click Save.
The "Select context kinds" dialog with two context kinds selected.
The "Select context kinds" dialog with two context kinds selected.
  1. Search for or add contexts to that variation.
  2. Click Review and save. The "Individual targets" section updates to display the context kinds you selected.
Only target small numbers of contexts individually

We recommend using individual targeting only for very small numbers of individual contexts. Individually targeting more than 10,000 contexts per environment may cause performance degradation, because the SDK takes longer to initialize when the targeting rules payload is large.

Instead, we recommend using targeting rules or segments to target large numbers of contexts. To learn how, read Custom targeting rules and Segment targeting.

If your application is already sending data back to LaunchDarkly, you can search for any context kind by name or key. These strings are case sensitive.

If you need to target a context that LaunchDarkly doesn't know about, you can enter its key manually. These contexts display in yellow until they encounter a feature flag.

In the screenshot below, specific contexts are receiving the first variation of a flag. That flag is targeted to them. This means that these contexts will receive that flag variation when they access the flag.

A flag with organization and user contexts targeted.
A flag with organization and user contexts targeted.

You can also use the REST API: Individual context targets

Remove individual targets

You can remove a context from a flag's targeting list by clicking the "X" next to the context's name. To do this:

  1. Navigate to the flag's Targeting tab.
  2. Find the individual targeting rule you want to remove contexts from and click Edit.
  3. Click the X next to the name to remove the context:
A user context in the flag's targeting section, with the "X" to remove called out.
A user context in the flag's targeting section, with the "X" to remove called out.
  1. (Optional) If you need to undo the changes you just made, click the undo arrow icon to discard all changes:
A feature flag's "discard all changes" button called out.
A feature flag's "discard all changes" button called out.

A "Discard unsaved changes" dialog appears. Click Discard changes to undo all the changes you have made, or Cancel to return to the Targeting tab.

  1. Click Review and save.

Schedule removal dates for individual targeting

Scheduling removal dates is a Pro and Enterprise feature

Scheduling removal dates is available to customers on a Pro or Enterprise plan. To learn more, read about our pricing. To upgrade your plan, contact Sales.

You can schedule a removal date and time for each individual context that is targeted by a flag. By doing this, you can specify a future date and time after which the context will no longer be targeted for the specific flag. You can do this when you add a new individual target, or for existing individual targets.

This is useful if you want to give customers trial access to a feature, run a controlled beta test, or just keep your flags organized by not having too many flags working at once.

You can also schedule a context to be removed from a segment, rather than from flag targeting. To learn more, read Scheduling removal from segments.

To schedule a removal date for an individual target:

  1. Navigate to the flag's Targeting tab.
  2. Find the individual targeting rule with the context you want to schedule a removal date for and click Edit.
  3. Search for the context you want to target.
  • If the flag already individually targets the context, hover over the target and click the calendar icon that appears:
An individual target with the calendar icon called out.
An individual target with the calendar icon called out.
  • If the flag does not already individually target the context, begin typing the context name or key into the search bar. Contexts matching your search appear. Click Add and schedule removal next to the context name:
The targeting field with the "Add and schedule removal" option called out.
The targeting field with the "Add and schedule removal" option called out.
  1. The "Schedule removal" dialog appears.
  2. Set a date and time for the user context to be removed from the flag:
The "Schedule removal" dialog to schedule the targeting removal.
The "Schedule removal" dialog to schedule the targeting removal.
  1. Click Save.
  2. (Optional) If you need to undo the changes you just made, click the undo arrow icon to discard all changes.
  3. Click Review and save.

The individual targets are now scheduled for removal on the date and time you specified.

Editing existing scheduled removal dates

Individual targets that already have a removal date scheduled appear with a red calendar icon. Click on the calendar icon to update or remove a scheduled removal date.

Individual targets with scheduled removal dates.
Individual targets with scheduled removal dates.