PostHog Analytics Blocked By Ad-Blockers – Reverse Proxy Required

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Overview

PostHog analytics integration is a crucial feature for businesses to gain insights into user behavior and optimize their applications. However, when users have ad-blockers enabled, PostHog events fail to be sent, resulting in incomplete analytics data. To overcome this issue, we need to implement a reverse proxy to route PostHog requests through our own domain, ensuring that analytics data is collected accurately.

Current Implementation

Our current implementation involves installing and initializing the PostHog SDK, wrapping the app in a PostHog provider, and configuring basic event tracking. However, this setup is not sufficient to bypass ad-blockers, which prevent PostHog events from being sent.

Current Implementation Code

// PostHog SDK installed and initialized
import { PostHog } from 'posthog-js';

// App wrapped in PostHog provider
const posthog = new PostHog('your-posthog-project-id');

// Basic event tracking configured
posthog.capture('event_name', { properties: { key: 'value' } });

Problem

Ad-blockers, such as uBlock and AdBlock, block PostHog domains by default, preventing PostHog events from being sent. This results in incomplete analytics data, which can be detrimental to businesses relying on PostHog for insights.

Problem Impact

  • Incomplete analytics data
  • Difficulty in making data-driven decisions
  • Potential loss of revenue due to poor optimization

Solution Required

To bypass ad-blockers and ensure accurate analytics data collection, we need to implement a reverse proxy to route PostHog requests through our own domain.

Solution Requirements

  • Reverse Proxy Setup: Route PostHog requests through our own subdomain (e.g., analytics.upsher.dev)
  • Configuration Updates: Add reverse proxy rules (Vercel rewrite) and update PostHog initialization to use proxy URL

Solution Code

// Reverse Proxy Setup
const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.use('/posthog', (req, res) => {
  // Route PostHog requests through our own subdomain
  res.redirect(`https://analytics.upsher.dev/posthog/${req.url}`);
});

// Configuration Updates
const posthog = new PostHog('your-posthog-project-id', {
  api_host: 'https://analytics.upsher.dev/posthog',
});

Verification Steps

To ensure that the reverse proxy setup is working correctly, we need to perform the following verification steps:

Verification Steps

  1. Test analytics with ad-blockers enabled: Events should now be captured.
  2. Confirm data appears in PostHog dashboard: Verify that analytics data is being collected accurately.
  3. Validate proxy setup by inspecting network requests: Ensure that PostHog requests are being routed through our own subdomain.

Dependencies

To implement the reverse proxy setup, we need the following dependencies:

  • Server/edge function access: To configure the reverse proxy
  • PostHog api_host updated in client-side config: To use the proxy URL for PostHog initialization

Priority

The priority of this issue is High, as data loss is occurring due to ad-blockers preventing PostHog events from being sent.

Additional Context

Frequently Asked Questions

In this section, we will address some of the most common questions related to PostHog analytics being blocked by ad-blockers and the implementation of a reverse proxy.

Q: What is the main cause of PostHog analytics being blocked by ad-blockers?

A: The main cause of PostHog analytics being blocked by ad-blockers is that many ad-blockers block PostHog domains by default. This prevents PostHog events from being sent, resulting in incomplete analytics data.

Q: What is a reverse proxy, and how does it help in this scenario?

A: A reverse proxy is a server that sits between a client and a server, routing requests from the client to the server. In this scenario, a reverse proxy is used to route PostHog requests through our own domain, bypassing ad-blockers and ensuring that analytics data is collected accurately.

Q: What are the requirements for implementing a reverse proxy in this scenario?

A: The requirements for implementing a reverse proxy in this scenario include:

  • Server/edge function access: To configure the reverse proxy
  • PostHog api_host updated in client-side config: To use the proxy URL for PostHog initialization

Q: How do I configure the reverse proxy?

A: To configure the reverse proxy, you need to:

  • Route PostHog requests through our own subdomain: Use a reverse proxy server to route PostHog requests through our own subdomain (e.g., analytics.upsher.dev)
  • Add reverse proxy rules (Vercel rewrite): Add rules to the reverse proxy server to route PostHog requests correctly
  • Update PostHog initialization to use proxy URL: Update the PostHog initialization to use the proxy URL

Q: What are the verification steps to ensure that the reverse proxy setup is working correctly?

A: The verification steps to ensure that the reverse proxy setup is working correctly include:

  • Test analytics with ad-blockers enabled: Events should now be captured
  • Confirm data appears in PostHog dashboard: Verify that analytics data is being collected accurately
  • Validate proxy setup by inspecting network requests: Ensure that PostHog requests are being routed through our own subdomain

Q: What are the benefits of implementing a reverse proxy in this scenario?

A: The benefits of implementing a reverse proxy in this scenario include:

  • Accurate analytics data collection: PostHog events are sent correctly, even with ad-blockers enabled
  • Improved data-driven decision-making: Businesses can make informed decisions based on accurate analytics data
  • Reduced data loss: PostHog events are not lost due to ad-blockers preventing them from being sent

Q: What is the priority of this issue?

A: The priority of this issue is High, as data loss is occurring due to ad-blockers preventing PostHog events from being sent.

Q: Where can I find more information on bypassing ad-blockers using a reverse proxy?

A: For more information on bypassing ad-blockers using a reverse proxy, refer to the PostHog Proxy Guide: PostHog Proxy Guide.