Targeting Conditions
Add targeting conditions to a rule to control which values a user sees. Conditions are evaluated against attributes you pass into the SDK — like user ID, country, plan type, or any custom property.
This page covers how to set up attributes, write conditions, and use Saved Groups for reusable targeting.
Attributes
For targeting to work, you need to pass attributes into the GrowthBook SDK and define them in the GrowthBook app. Here's a quick overview of how to do both.
Passing Attributes into the SDK
Attributes are passed into your SDKs as key-value pairs. The keys are completely customizable — use whatever fits your application's data model.
Here's an example from the JavaScript SDK:
growthbook.setAttributes({
id: "123",
email: "hello@growthbook.io",
country: "US",
url: window.location.href,
userAgent: navigator.userAgent,
admin: true,
age: 50,
});
Defining Attributes in GrowthBook
In addition to passing attributes into the SDK, define the same attribute keys in the GrowthBook app under SDK Connections → Attributes:
The actual values of targeting attributes (e.g., user IDs, emails) are never sent to GrowthBook. They are only stored in memory locally within the SDK. This architecture keeps your users' PII safe and secure.
Each attribute has 4 parts:
- Attribute name — How the attribute is referenced in the SDK.
- Data Type — The type of value the attribute holds.
- Identifier — Whether this attribute uniquely identifies a person, account, company, or device. Identifiers are used for experiment assignments.
- Projects — Which projects the attribute is available in. If no projects are selected, the attribute is available everywhere.
Attribute Data Types
GrowthBook supports the following attribute data types:
| Data Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Boolean | true or false value | true, false |
| Number | Floats or integers | 25, 3.14, -8 |
| String | Freeform text | "alice@example.com", "blue" |
| Enum | Short list of predefined string values | "basic", "pro", "enterprise" |
| Secure String | String values hashed before passing to SDK for privacy | "secure-id-123" |
| Array of Strings | List of strings, useful for tags or categories | ["admin", "editor"] |
| Array of Numbers | List of numeric values | [1, 2, 3, 5, 8] |
| Array of Secure Strings | Multiple hashed string values for secure targeting | ["user123", "user456"] |
Semantic Version Targeting
GrowthBook supports semantic version string comparisons, so that 1.0.10 is correctly treated as greater than 1.0.9.
To use this, create or edit a String attribute under SDK Configurations → Attributes and select Version string in the format dropdown.
After saving, targeting operators (e.g., is greater than) automatically use a version-safe comparison function.
Semantic version targeting is only supported in some SDKs. Check the release notes for your specific SDK to confirm compatibility.
Date Targeting
GrowthBook supports a date format for string attributes that makes it easier to target by date.
To use this, create or edit a string attribute under SDK Configurations → Attributes and select Date string in the format dropdown.
After saving, certain targeting operators (e.g., is after or on or is equal to) display a date picker input. Dates entered with the date picker are saved as ISO-formatted date strings (e.g., 2024-07-23T20:06).
Country Code Targeting
Use 2-character ISO country codes to simplify targeting by country.
To set up country code targeting:
- Create an attribute and set the Data Type to
String. - Change the String Format to
ISO Country Code (2 letter). - Save the attribute.
When setting targeting rules, you'll get a dropdown to select a country directly.
Defining Conditions
GrowthBook provides a visual UI for defining targeting conditions using your attributes.
By default, string attributes are case sensitive. For example, if you pass us into the SDK, it will not match US. To make string attributes case insensitive, enable the Case insensitive toggle:
Advanced Mode
For more advanced targeting, enter conditions as JSON by clicking Advanced Mode.
The JSON structure uses a MongoDB-inspired query syntax. Multiple conditions are always joined with AND (except when explicitly using $or/$nor). Below are all supported operators with examples.
Simple Equality
Key/value pairs for exact matches:
{
"attribute1": "value1",
"attribute2": 123,
"attribute3": false
}
Comparison Operators
Basic comparison operators for string/number attributes:
$eq(equals)$ne(not equals)$lt(less than)$lte(less than or equal to)$gt(greater than)$gte(greater than or equal to)$regex(regular expression match, string attributes only)$in(in array)$nin(not in array)
{
"foo": {
"$gt": 10,
"$lte": 99
},
"bar": {
"$in": ["a","b","c"]
},
"baz": {
"$regex": "^test-([0-9]+)$"
}
}
Semantic Version Operators
Comparison operators for semantic version strings:
$veq(equals)$vne(not equals)$vlt(less than)$vlte(less than or equal to)$vgt(greater than)$vgte(greater than or equal to)
{
"appVersion": {
"$vgt": "1.5.6",
"$vlte": "5.4.0"
}
}
Array Operators
Operators for array attributes:
$elemMatch(at least one element must match the specified condition)$all(all of the specified values must exist in the array)$size(array length must match the specified condition)
{
"emails": {
"$elemMatch": {
"$regex": "@gmail.com$"
}
},
"hobbies": {
"$all": ["hiking","tennis","chess"]
},
"tags": {
"$size": {
"$gt": 5
}
}
}
Miscellaneous Operators
$exists(tests if the attribute value is null or not)$type(tests if the attribute's type matches the type specified)$not(inverts a nested condition)
{
"alternateEmail": {
"$exists": true
},
"foo": {
"$type": "string"
},
"name": {
"$not": {
"$regex": "^J"
}
}
}
Logical Operators
Logical operators with arbitrary nesting levels:
$or$nor$and$not
{
"$or": [
{
"$not": {
"foo": "abc"
}
},
{
"$and": [
{"bar": true},
{"baz": 123}
]
}
]
}
GrowthBook uses MongoDB query syntax because it is easy to read, write, and well documented. Conditions are never executed against a database — the SDKs include a lightweight interpreter for this syntax that runs entirely locally.
Saved Groups
Saved Groups let you target the same group of users across multiple features and experiments. Define a group once and reuse it everywhere — for example, beta testers or high-value customers.
Condition Groups
Define targeting rules based on user attributes. For example, target users who are located in the US and on a mobile device.
ID Lists
Manually define targeted users via text input or by uploading a CSV. For example, create a beta testers group by uploading a CSV of user IDs.
ID Lists are limited to 1 MB. Using multiple large ID Lists may impact performance as it increases the SDK payload. Keep ID Lists as concise as possible.
ID Lists accept the following attribute types: string, secureString, or number. For targeting other types of attributes, use Condition Groups.
Enterprise users can use optimized ID lists to reduce payload size. Enable this feature by editing your SDK connection and toggling on Pass ID Lists by reference. If the toggle isn't visible, your SDK is not compatible with this feature.
For more advanced targeting based on the state of other feature flags, see Prerequisite Features.
Empty lists would previously be ignored in the SDK payloads, causing targeting conditions referencing those lists to always evaluate to true. ID Lists created after the behavior was changed properly use the empty list, so rules checking whether a value is in the list always evaluate to false. Lists created before the change preserve the old behavior so as not to break existing features.
To make an ID list with the legacy behavior evaluate to false instead of true, add a single placeholder value such as "" or "_" so that the list isn't empty.