The Contexts list

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Last edited: Feb 27, 2023

Overview

This topic explains what the Contexts list is, how it is populated, and how to use it.

The Contexts list shows you all of the contexts that have encountered feature flags in your application. You can select any context to view its context detail page, which gives you a summary view of how the context experiences all of the features in your app, and lets you customize their experience from one screen. To learn more, read The context details page.

Understanding the Contexts list

The Contexts list populates automatically when different contexts encounter a feature flag and are evaluated by a LaunchDarkly SDK. The data in the list is populated from the data you send in variation calls, as well as data from identify calls. To learn more about evaluating contexts in the SDK, read Evaluating flags. To learn more about contexts and attributes, read Context attributes.

You cannot add contexts manually

You cannot create contexts in the Contexts list. The list only includes contexts that have already been evaluated by a LaunchDarkly SDK.

If a context's attributes change within five minutes of the previous evaluation, and the context key stays the same, the list deduplicates the context and does not reflect the latest evaluation. This does not affect variation calls, which always use the attribute values passed to them.

The SDK does not use the attributes on the Contexts list to evaluate flags

The SDK only evaluates flags based on the context you provide in the evaluation call. The SDK does not use the attributes shown on the Contexts list, and context attributes are not synchronized across SDK instances. You must provide all applicable attributes for each evaluation in the SDK for your targeting rules to apply correctly. To learn more, read Evaluating flags.

Here is an image of the Contexts list:

From the list, you can filter contexts by name, kind, or attribute. You can also sort the list to identify the oldest or most recent contexts evaluated in your LaunchDarkly account. By default, the most recently active contexts appear first. Click the toggle arrow on the "Last seen" column to sort the list by least recently active contexts.

Contexts appear individually in the Contexts list

Your application may evaluate a feature flag for a multi-context, that is, one that contains multiple context kinds. For example, your application may send a multi-context that contains the "user," "organization," and "device" context kinds, all in one evaluation call in the LaunchDarkly SDK. When you do this, all three individual contexts appear separately in your Contexts list. You can use the context kind filters to search for them separately.

To learn more about how the Contexts list is populated, and how you might exceed the 100,000,000 context limit, read Anonymous contexts.

To learn how to create context kinds, read Creating context kinds.

You can also use the REST API: Get contexts, Get context instances

Filtering contexts

You can filter contexts on the Contexts list by context kind, name, key, or attribute.

To filter contexts:

In the filter field, enter all or the beginning of a name, kind, or attribute. This example is filtering by the built-in "user" context kind:

A search query for "user" context kinds.

Press enter. Only contexts with matching attribute values now display on the Contexts list.

You can also use the REST API: Search for contexts, Search for context instances

Using advanced filter strings

A filter is a string that you pass as the value of a query parameter, usually named filter. This is a common pattern in software and internet-based tools.

Here is a basic example of a filter: example.com/search?filter=field equals value.

The "Context filtering elements reference" below explains the elements of this filtering example in detail.

Click to expand the context filtering elements reference

A filter string can have characters that are not valid inside a URL, so when a filter string appears in a URL, LaunchDarkly always assumes that the filter is URL-encoded.

In the following examples the string is not URL-encoded.

The filter string is the portion after filter=. It is split into three sections: field, equals, and value. These three sections each have their own name.

Field: The field is the first part of the filter string. It is a field in the contexts that you want to filter based on. Separate the context kind and its attribute with a period (.). For example, to search the "name" attribute of "user" contexts, use user.name. Operator: The operator is the second part of the filter string. It describes the conditions by which the filter identifies the match value. Match value: The match value is the third part of the filter string. It describes the values that the filter will identify.

In the example above, the filter only allows contexts that contain a field field with values that exactly matches value.

Operators

This table lists the available operators and examples:

Operator	Description	Example
`equals`	Returns true if there is an exact match on the entire field.	`organization.number equals 44` `"kind" equals "device"` `device.option equals true` `organization.number equals [1,2,3,4]` `user.name equals ["Sandy", "Jesse"]`
`anyOf`	Returns true if any of the values in a field match any of the values in the match value.	`organization.number anyOf [44]` `user.name anyOf ["Sandy","Jesse"]` `device.optin "anyOf" [true]`
`contains`	Returns true if all the match values are also found in the values of the field.	`organization.number contains [44]` `"user.name" contains ["Sandy","Jesse"]` `device.optin "contains" [true]`
`startsWith`	Returns true the value in a field, which should be a singular string, begins with the provided substring.	`user.name startsWith San` `device.type startsWith "iOS"`
`lte`	Returns true if any of the values in a field, which should be numbers, are less than or equal to the match value, which should be a number.	`organization.number lte 44`
`gte`	Returns true if any of the values in a field, which should be numbers, are greater than or equal to the match value, which should be a number.	`organization.number gte 44`
`after`	Returns true if any of the values in a field, which should be dates, are after or equal to the provided datetime. Valid match values should be numbers in unix epoch milliseconds, or date time strings in RFC-3339 format.	`user.signup after "2022-09-21T19:03:15+00:00"`
`before`	Returns true if any of the values in a field, which should be dates, are before or equal to the provided datetime. Valid match values should be numbers in unix epoch milliseconds, or date time strings in RFC-3339 format.	`user.signup before "2022-09-21T19:03:15+00:00"`
`notEquals`	Returns true if there is not an exact match on the entire field.	`organization.number notEquals 44` `"user.name" notEquals Sandy` `device.optin notEquals true` `organization.number notEquals [1,2,3,4]` `user.name notEquals ["Sandy", "Jesse"]`

Match values

A match value must be in the same format as a JSON value or an unquoted string. Unquoted strings must escape commas ,, pipes |, parentheses (), exclamation points !, slashes \, and whitespace by prefixing the character with \.

Field names

Field names are always strings. If they appear within double quotes ("), then they are encoded as if they were a JSON string. Unquoted strings must escape commas ,, pipes |, parentheses (), exclamation points !, slashes \, and whitespace by prefixing the character with \.

Customizing the Contexts list

You can customize which attributes appear on the Contexts list. To start, click the Attributes button.

Here is a screenshot of the Attributes button on the list:

The "Contexts" list with the "Show attributes" button called out.

The Attributes menu lets you choose attributes to appear on the Contexts list. After you choose specific attributes, that view persists when you visit the list in the future.

Modifying feature flags for a context instance

Click a context to manage the feature flags that apply to it, view the context instances that have encountered your flags, view the segments that the context is in, and view a full list of context attributes. To learn more, read The context details page.

Context storage

The Contexts list shows only cached context information. A context will appear on the list for 30 days after a flag sends an identify or flag evaluation event for them. Each time a flag sends a new event for the context, the 30-day period starts over.

After 30 days with no new identify or flag evaluation events, contexts age out of the system and their information no longer appears on the list.

After a context ages out of the system, it will reappear on the list if a flag sends an identify or flag evaluation event for it again. The exception to this is if your account has reached the maximum number of contexts.

If you want to keep contexts on the list for longer than 30 days between flags sending identify or flag evaluation events, you can manually call identify for all of the contexts that you wish to retain. To learn how to do this in your SDK, read Identifying and changing contexts.

Accounts are limited to 100,000,000 context instances. If you reach the context instance limit, flag evaluations will still work for new contexts, but those contexts won't appear on the list until stale contexts age out of the 30-day cache and your context instances drop below 100,000,000. To learn more, read Understanding client-side MCI limits.

If you want to increase your client-side monthly active users (MAU) limit and include more contexts from your client-side SDKs on the list, contact Support.

Removing a context instance

You can delete individual context instances from the Contexts list by clicking the overflow menu and choosing "Delete instance." Deleting a context instance deletes all versions of that instance.

The overflow menu only appears if there is exactly one context instance, due to the risks of deleting multiple instances at once.

You can also delete context instances from the context details page. To learn how, read Deleting a context instance.

To learn more about context instances, read Understanding context instances.

You can also use the REST API: Delete context instances