Segment targeting

Also called: audience targeting

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Segment targeting evaluates a feature flag against a segment: a reusable, named group of users defined by rules over their attributes rather than an ad-hoc list. Define "internal staff" or "enterprise plan" once, then point any flag at that segment — membership is computed at evaluation time from the user context you pass in.

Segments vs inline targeting rules

You can target a flag two ways. An inline targeting rule lives on a single flag — "serve true when plan is pro". A segment factors that audience out so many flags can share it: change the segment definition once and every flag pointed at it updates. Segments are the right tool when the same audience recurs across flags; inline rules suit one-off conditions. In Featureflip, segments use flat conditions with AND/OR logic while flag rules use condition groups — see the user targeting and segments guide.

How segment targeting is evaluated

At evaluation, the SDK checks the user context — id, plan, region, custom attributes — against each segment's conditions and each flag rule, then serves the matching variation. Because it runs locally against in-memory configuration, the check is sub-millisecond. Segment targeting composes with a percentage rollout: target a segment, then roll out to a percentage within it, which is the basis of a targeted rollout.

Want the full picture? Read the concept guide: User targeting & segments →

Related terms

Flag evaluation

Flag evaluation is the process an SDK runs to decide which variation a feature flag returns for a given user — applying prerequisites, targeting rules, and rollouts to the user context.

Percentage rollout

A percentage rollout serves a feature to a defined share of users — chosen by a deterministic hash — so the same users stay in the cohort as you ramp the percentage up.

Targeted rollout

A targeted rollout releases a feature to a specific audience — defined by user attributes or a segment — rather than to a random percentage of everyone, so the right users get it first.

Browse the full feature flag glossary →

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