Test your custom channel test-custom-channel
Before activating a journey or campaign that uses a custom channel, validate that your endpoint is reachable, that authentication works, and that personalization tokens resolve correctly for your target profiles.
Test the connection from the Channel Builder test-connection
While a custom channel is in Draft status, use the Test button in the Channel Builder to send a test request to your endpoint and validate the end-to-end connection before activating. Learn more
This test confirms:
- That the endpoint is reachable from Journey Optimizer’s outbound IPs.
- That the configured authentication credentials are valid.
- That the endpoint returns an HTTP 2xx response.
Check your external system’s logs to confirm that the test request was received with the expected headers and payload structure.
Simulate content with test profiles simulate-content
The Simulate content feature resolves personalization expressions against test profiles so you can inspect the exact payload that would be sent before any real message is delivered.
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From the journey action or the campaign edition screen, click Simulate content.
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Click Add test profile and select one or more profiles. Learn how to create test profiles
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Review the resolved payload in the preview panel. For each test profile, verify:
- All personalization tokens (for example,
{{profile.person.name.firstName}}) have been replaced with the expected values from the profile. - No unresolved tokens remain (shown as empty strings or literal
{{...}}syntax). - Required payload fields are populated.
- Helper functions produce the expected formatted output.
- All personalization tokens (for example,
Send a proof send-proof
To validate end-to-end delivery before activating, send a proof to a set of test recipients:
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In the Simulate content panel, switch to the Send proof tab.
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Add the profiles you want to use. You can upload a CSV file with profiles that are not defined as test profiles in Journey Optimizer.
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Click Send proof. Journey Optimizer calls your external endpoint with the personalized payload for each selected profile.
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Check your external system to confirm the proof payloads were received. For messaging channels (for example, WeChat or Kakao Talk), verify that the message appears on the target device or messaging app.
The proof result is displayed using the same validation patterns as email proofing: required fields, type mismatches, and schema validation errors are surfaced before the proof is sent.
Learn more on sending proofs in campaigns and journeys.
Test in journey test mode test-journey
For end-to-end journey validation, activate the journey in Test mode:
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From the journey canvas, click Test in the top-right area.
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Configure the trigger event or select a test profile for an audience-triggered journey.
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Click Trigger an event or let the profile enter through a Read Audience activity.
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Observe the flow in the canvas. When a profile reaches the custom channel action node, Journey Optimizer calls your external endpoint with the personalized payload.
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Check your external system’s logs to confirm the request was received correctly.
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Click Stop test when done.
Learn more on testing journeys in test mode.
Simulate a journey simulate-journey
Journey Optimizer’s Simulation mode lets you validate your journey end-to-end using simulated users—temporary profile-like entities that do not persist in Adobe Experience Platform—without requiring pre-created test profiles.
For custom channels, simulation resolves personalization expressions and renders the payload preview for each simulated user, so you can verify that the correct content would be delivered before going live.
To simulate a journey using a custom channel:
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From the journey canvas, click Simulate in the top-right area.
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Add simulated users manually or generate them using the AI-powered Quick simulation option.
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Configure any required entry events, then trigger the simulated users through the journey.
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When a simulated user reaches the custom channel action node, inspect the resolved payload in the preview panel to confirm that personalization tokens and payload structure are correct.
Learn more about journey simulation
Pre-activation checklist checklist
Before activating your journey or campaign, confirm the following:
- The connection test from the Channel Builder succeeded (endpoint reachable, authentication valid).
- Simulated payloads show expected values for all test profiles.
- No unresolved personalization tokens remain in the payload.
- All required payload fields are populated.
- A proof was sent and received correctly by your external system.
- Error paths on the journey action activity (if configured) handle failure scenarios as expected.
Once testing is complete, proceed to activate. Learn how