Analytics Collection API - What It Does & How It Helps

Description: Safely collects and stores user interaction data to help improve the application experience.

What this page is about

This page explains the analytics collection API endpoint that powers our user experience tracking system. Whether you're a developer integrating analytics, a product manager understanding data flow, or just curious about how we collect usage data, this guide will help you understand everything you need to know.

What Does This Actually Do?

Think of this like a suggestion box at a restaurant - but for digital interactions. Every time someone clicks a button, views a page, or interacts with our app, this endpoint carefully records that information so we can understand what's working well and what needs improvement.

Just like how a restaurant owner might notice that customers always ask for extra napkins, we can see patterns in how people use our app and make it better for everyone.

Why Do We Need This?

For Users

• Better Experience: Helps us identify what features people love and what causes frustration
• Privacy Focused: Collects only necessary interaction data, not personal information
• Performance Insights: Helps us find and fix slow or broken parts of the app

For Product Teams

• Data-Driven Decisions: Real usage patterns instead of guessing what users want
• Feature Validation: See which new features actually get used
• Performance Monitoring: Track how changes affect user behavior

For Developers

• Error Tracking: Understand where users encounter problems
• Usage Analytics: See which code paths are most frequently used
• Performance Metrics: Monitor real-world application performance

How It Works (The Simple Version)

API Details

Endpoint

POST /api/analytics/collect

Request Format

{
  "event_type": "page_view",
  "event_data": {
    "page": "/dashboard",
    "referrer": "/login",
    "user_agent": "Mozilla/5.0..."
  },
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
}

Response Format

{
  "success": true,
  "event_id": "evt_abc123",
  "message": "Event recorded successfully"
}

Event Types Supported

Event Type	Description	Example Use Case
page_view	User visits a page	Track popular pages
button_click	User clicks an interactive element	Measure feature usage
form_submit	User submits a form	Track conversion rates
error_encountered	User hits an error	Identify problem areas

Different Ways This Gets Used

Automatic Collection

Most analytics happen automatically when users interact with the app - no manual setup needed.

Custom Events

Developers can trigger specific analytics events:

// Track a custom user action
await fetch('/api/analytics/collect', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    event_type: 'feature_used',
    event_data: { feature: 'export_data' }
  })
});

Batch Collection

For high-traffic scenarios, events can be batched:

// Collect multiple events at once
const events = [
  { event_type: 'scroll', event_data: { position: 500 } },
  { event_type: 'click', event_data: { element: 'nav_menu' } }
];
// Send batch request...

When Things Go Wrong

Common Issues

📊 "Events not appearing in dashboard"

• Check that the event_type is one of the supported types
• Verify your timestamp format is ISO 8601
• Ensure the request includes required fields

⚠️ "Getting 400 Bad Request"

• Double-check your JSON format is valid
• Make sure event_data is an object, not a string
• Verify all required fields are present

🚫 "403 Forbidden Error"

• This endpoint requires valid session authentication
• Check that cookies are being sent with requests
• Verify your session hasn't expired

Getting Help

• For Users: If something seems broken, try refreshing the page
• For Developers: Check the browser console for detailed error messages
• For Product Teams: Contact the analytics team for data interpretation help

Configuration Options

Development & Testing

Local Testing

# Test the endpoint locally
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/analytics/collect \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "event_type": "test_event",
    "event_data": {"source": "manual_test"}
  }'

Integration Testing

The endpoint includes comprehensive validation and error handling. All events are validated against a schema before storage.

Performance Impact

• Response Time: < 50ms average
• Data Storage: ~500 bytes per event
• Rate Limits: 100 events per minute per user
• Batch Processing: Events processed asynchronously for better performance

Privacy & Security

• No Personal Data: We collect interaction patterns, not personal information
• IP Anonymization: IP addresses are hashed for privacy
• Secure Transmission: All data sent over HTTPS
• Data Retention: Events automatically deleted after 90 days

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Last updated: 2024-01-15 | API Version: 1.0 | Source: /src/app/api/analytics/collect/route.ts