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JavaScript SDK Quickstart

Install and use the RudderStack JavaScript SDK on your website.

  •   4 minute read  

This guide lists the steps to quickly install the JavaScript SDK on your website and start tracking user activity in no time.

Prerequisites

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Except for the installation steps, all the code snippets in this guide assume that the SDK is installed using CDN.

Step 1: Install JavaScript SDK

You can install the JavaScript SDK on your website via CDN or using NPM.

warning

If you are migrating from an older version of the SDK, note that there is no page call embedded in the loading scripts listed below.

See Breaking Changes for more information.

Using CDN

To integrate the SDK with your website and load it asynchronously:

  1. Go to the Setup tab of your JavaScript source in the RudderStack dashboard.
  2. Click the Minified or Original tab followed by Copy snippet and paste the script in your website’s <head> section.
JavaScript SDK snippet

The SDK installation snippet (seen above) contains both the write keyThe write key (or source write key) is a unique identifier for your source. RudderStack uses this key to send events from a source to the specified destination. and data plane URLThe data plane URL is the location where events are routed and sent to the RudderStack backend for processing. You can find this URL in the home page of your RudderStack dashboard. by default.

See Installation for more information on the advanced loading methods.

Using NPM

While it is recommended to install the JavaScript SDK on your website via CDN, you can also use the NPM module for packaging RudderStack directly into your project.

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Use this NPM module only for browser applications. To integrate RudderStack with your Node.js apps, see the Node.js SDK documentation.

To install the JavaScript SDK via NPM, run the following command:

npm install @rudderstack/analytics-js --save

Run the following code snippet once and utilize the exported object consistently across your entire project:

  • For ECMAScript modules (ESM):
import { RudderAnalytics } from '@rudderstack/analytics-js';

const rudderAnalytics = new RudderAnalytics();
rudderAnalytics.load(WRITE_KEY, DATA_PLANE_URL, {});
  
export { rudderAnalytics };
  • For CJS using the require method:
var RudderAnalytics = require("@rudderstack/analytics-js");

const rudderAnalytics = new RudderAnalytics();
rudderAnalytics.load(WRITE_KEY, DATA_PLANE_URL, {});

exports.rudderAnalytics = rudderAnalytics;

Sample apps

See the RudderStack JavaScript SDK repository for sample applications highlighting the different installation methods.

Step 2: Check ready state

The JavaScript SDK provides the ready API with a callback that triggers when the SDK is done initializing itself and the other third-party destination SDKs.

rudderanalytics.ready(() => {
    console.log("The JavaScript SDK is ready.");
});

Step 3: Track current page

You can make a page call to track the current web page and pass any additional information:

rudderanalytics.page(
  "Cart",
  "Cart Viewed", {
    path: "/best-seller/1",
    referrer: "https://www.google.com/search?q=estore+bestseller",
    search: "estore bestseller",
    title: "The best sellers offered by EStore",
    url: "https://www.estore.com/best-seller/1"
  },
  () => {
    console.log("Page event successfully submitted to the RudderStack SDK.");
  }
);
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Note that the above example highlights how to override and set custom values for path, referrer, search, title, and url. In reality, the SDK automatically captures these fields.

Single page applications

In the case of single-page applications (SPA) where a route change does not reload the page, you need to make the page call explicitly after the route change on the frontend.

See RudderStack-Next.js Integration guide for more information.

Step 4: Identify users

The identify method lets you identify a user and associate them with their actions. It also enables you to record any traits about them like their name, email, etc.

rudderanalytics.identify(
  "1hKOmRA4el9Zt1WSfVJIVo4GRlm", {
    firstName: "Alex",
    lastName: "Keener",
    email: "alex@example.com",
    phone: "+1-202-555-0146"
  },
  () => {
    console.log("Identify event successfully submitted to the RudderStack SDK.");
  }
);

The JavaScript SDK captures the user ID, first name, last name, email, and phone number from the above snippet.

info
The anonymous visitors are automatically assigned an anonymousId. See the Anonymous ID section for more information.

Step 5: Track user actions

The track method lets you capture user events along with the associated properties.

rudderanalytics.track(
  "Order Completed", {
    revenue: 77.6,
    currency: "USD",
  },
  () => {
    console.log("Track event successfully submitted to the RudderStack SDK.");
  }
);

The JavaScript SDK captures the Order Completed event along with revenueand currencyfrom the above snippet.

success
You can use the track method to track various success metrics for your website like user signups, item purchases, article bookmarks, and more.

Questions? Contact us by email or on Slack