Development environments come with usage restrictions and fair use policies - sufficient for testing but limited to prevent production abuse.
Development Environment Benefits
Isolated Testing
Environment separation provides:- Clean live environment - No test products, orders, or activity
- Safe development space - Test features without affecting production
- Realistic testing - Full PureClarity functionality in staging
- Data integrity - Separate analytics and customer data
Fair Use Policy
Allowed activities:- Feature testing and integration validation
- User acceptance testing (UAT)
- Performance testing with limited traffic
- Development team training
- Production customer traffic
- High-volume load testing
- Revenue-generating activities
- Long-term production use
Environment Identification
A banner at the top of PureClarity admin indicates when you’re working in a staging or test environment.
Platform-Specific Implementation
Shopify Development
Automatic development recognition:- Stores with plan name “affiliate” skip plan selection
- Stores with plan name “partner_test” get automatic setup
- No billing requirements for development stores
Agency Workflow Recommendations
Transfer process:- Complete development and testing with affiliate/partner_test store
- Prepare for client handover
- Reinstall PureClarity on client’s production account
- Configure production settings and preferences
- Transfer any custom configurations or campaigns
Traditional Platform Setup
Platforms: Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, WooCommerce, CustomDual Environment Strategy
Recommended approach:- Staging signup - Create account on development/staging site
- Production signup - Create separate account on live site
- Separate access keys - Maintain distinct API credentials
- Independent configuration - Configure each environment separately
Access Key Management
Best practices:- Environment-specific keys - Use dedicated keys per environment
- Secure storage - Store keys securely in environment variables
- Regular rotation - Update keys when transitioning to production
- Documentation - Maintain clear records of which keys belong to which environment
Development Workflow Integration
Testing Phases
Stage 1: Initial Development
- Set up staging PureClarity account
- Configure basic integration
- Test core functionality
- Validate data feeds and API connections
Stage 2: Feature Testing
- Test recommendation engines
- Validate campaign functionality
- Check personalization features
- Verify analytics tracking
Stage 3: User Acceptance Testing
- Conduct UAT with limited test users
- Validate user experience flows
- Test GDPR compliance features
- Verify mobile responsiveness
Stage 4: Production Preparation
- Set up production PureClarity account
- Configure production access keys
- Transfer tested configurations
- Plan go-live strategy
Configuration Transfer
Transfer checklist:- Campaign settings and templates
- Segment definitions and rules
- Zone placements and configurations
- Custom template designs
- Analytics and tracking setup
Best Practices
Environment Management
- Clear naming - Use distinct names for staging/production accounts
- Regular cleanup - Remove test data periodically
- Documentation - Maintain environment setup guides
- Access control - Limit staging access to development team
Development Security
Security considerations:- Never expose staging credentials in production code
- Use environment-specific configuration files
- Implement proper secret management
- Regular security audits of development environments
Performance Testing
Testing guidelines:- Use realistic but limited data volumes
- Test with representative user journeys
- Validate caching and performance optimizations
- Monitor resource usage during testing
For comprehensive load testing, coordinate with PureClarity support to ensure appropriate environment provisioning.