How to choose an environment in Adobe Target?

[SS33]

1. How do I configure a Target activity in a specific environment?
2. Is there a way to check the activity’s environment if I have Approver access? (I tried, but no luck)
3. Can I assume that an Adobe Target activity created without explicitly selecting an environment is running in the default environment?

[Gokul_Agiwal]

Hi @SS33 

To answer above questions, Could you please let us know how's your Adobe Target setup has been done? 

1) Are you using Adobe Tags (data collection / Launch) for target installation? 

2) Are you using at.js or websdk approach?  

Thanks,

[SS33]

Hey @Gokul_Agiwal 

We've implemented WebSDK on the client side using Tealium iQ. But I'm more interested in understanding how environments can be set up for server-side activities.

[pradnya_balvir · Accepted solution]

Hi @SS33 ,

Adobe Target doesn’t have an “environment selector” in the UI per activity like Launch or Analytics. Instead, environments are defined and distinguished at the implementation level.

For Web SDK or server-side APIs, the environment context is usually defined by the Mbox request context, like the hostname or custom parameters passed.

In Web SDK or server-side, environments are differentiated by:

• Domains/hostnames (e.g., dev.example.com, www.example.com)
• Custom parameters (like env=stage) passed in the request.

Adobe Target auto-categorizes activities as "Active" on environments where the experience is delivered and matched.

Configure a Target activity in a specific environment:

You don’t configure the environment in Target directly. Instead:

• Use URL/Domain targeting when setting up audience rules.
• In your Target audience setup:
• Target domain contains staging.example.com for staging.
• Use domain contains www.example.com for production.

So the environment is controlled by the audience rules and where the code executes.

For WebSDK (via Tealium iQ):

Ensure that:

• Web SDK configuration in Tealium iQ sends the correct hostname, pageURL, or custom environment-specific parameters.
• Use Adobe Experience Platform Tags to segment requests if needed.

"context": {
"channel": "web",
"address": {
"url": "https://staging.example.com/page"
}
}

For your second question: Is there a way to check the activity’s environment if I have Approver access?

No — unfortunately, Adobe Target UI doesn’t explicitly show “environment” unless you set up clear audience rulesor name the activity meaningfully.

But you can:

• Check the Audience Rules (look for domain-based or param-based targeting).

• Use “Preview” URLs if available and try them in different environments to see if the activity delivers.

The "Approver" role cannot view activity code or test API calls, so some server-side visibility might be limited.

For your third question:

Sort of, but only if the activity doesn’t include any audience restrictions.

If:

• There’s no domain filter in the audience rules,

• And the implementation exists on both staging and prod,
  Then yes — the activity may run on any environment where the SDK is implemented.

But it’s best practice to always define audience rules to avoid unintended exposure.

Thanks.

Pradnya

[Michael_Soprano]

@pradnya_balvir but for different env (prod and dev) we can use Target properties?