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
Development stores are restricted to testing purposes only. Using them for production traffic violates terms of service and may result in access blocking.
- 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
For agencies developing client stores: reinstall PureClarity when transferring ownership to ensure the client can use PureClarity in production.
- 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
Never use production access keys in staging environments - this can cause staging products to appear in live recommendations.
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
Document all staging configurations to streamline production setup and ensure consistency.
- 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.