Understanding $ip as a Default Property in Client-Side SDKs
Is $ip a default property that automatically collected by client-side sdk?
Is $ip a default property that automatically collected by client-side sdk?
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Based on the knowledge sources provided, $ip is not listed as a default property that is automatically collected by client-side SDKs in Mixpanel.The document Default Properties: Automatically collected properties lists various default properties collected by client-side SDKs, but $ip is not among them.However, it's important to note that while $ip is not automatically collected as a default property, the IP address is used by Mixpanel for geolocation parsing. According to the Geolocation documentation, Mixpanel uses the IP address of the request to generate geolocation properties (City, Region, Country) for events and profiles. The IP address itself is not stored as a property, but rather used to derive the geolocation data.If you want to prevent geolocation parsing based on IP address, you can set the 'ip' property to 0 or false when initializing the library, as shown in the Privacy-Friendly Tracking section of the JavaScript SDK documentation.
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Yes, even if the "$ip" property is not explicitly set, Mixpanel can still parse geolocation properties (City, Region, Country) for events and profiles. This is because Mixpanel uses the IP address of the incoming request to determine geolocation data by default. Let me explain when to send the "$ip" property and when not to, based on the information from the knowledge sources: 1. Default Behavior (Not Sending "$ip"):
If you don't explicitly set the "$ip" property, Mixpanel will use the IP address of the incoming request to parse geolocation data. According to the Geolocation documentation: "By default, geolocation properties are set using the IP address of the location in where the request was made."This means that for client-side tracking, the geolocation will be based on the user's actual IP address, which is usually what you want.2. When to Send "$ip": a) Server-side tracking: If you're tracking from your servers, you should set the "$ip" property to the client's IP address. As mentioned in the Geolocation documentation: "If you're tracking from your servers, you need to set the ip property of the events to the client's IP address."This is because server-side requests originate from your server's IP, which would incorrectly set the location of all your users to your data center's location.b) Custom IP: If you want to use a specific IP address for geolocation parsing that's different from the request's IP address, you can set the "$ip" property to that custom IP.3. When to Set "$ip" to 0: Set "$ip" to 0 when you want to disable geolocation parsing entirely for a specific event or profile update. This is useful in several scenarios: - To prevent unintentional setting of geolocation to your server's location in server-side tracking.
- To respect user privacy by not tracking location for certain events.
- When you don't want to update the geolocation for a specific profile update.For example, as shown in the Java SDK documentation: LBKSJSONObject props = new JSONObject(); props.put("Plan", "Premium"); props.put("$ip", "0"); // do not update profile locationLBKSIn summary, you typically don't need to send the "$ip" property for client-side tracking. For server-side tracking, you should send it with the client's IP address. Set it to 0 when you want to disable geolocation parsing for specific events or profile updates.
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Yes, when using a proxy to bypass requests from a client-side SDK, you should set the "$ip" property explicitly. This is because the proxy will change the original IP address of the client, and Mixpanel would otherwise use the proxy's IP address for geolocation parsing, which would be incorrect.Here's how you should handle this situation: 1. For event tracking:
According to the Geolocation documentation, you should set the "ip" property (without the "$") in the event properties:
'ip': 'CLIENT_IP_ADDRESS',
// other event properties
});
```LBKSLBKS2. For profile updates:
For profile updates, use "$ip" (with the "$"): LBKS
```LBKS mixpanel.people.set({
'$ip': 'CLIENT_IP_ADDRESS',
// other profile properties
});
```LBKSLBKSTo implement this, you'll need to ensure that your proxy forwards the original client IP address to your application, and then your application needs to include this IP address when making calls to Mixpanel.LBKSA common way to do this is by having the proxy add a custom header (e.g., 'X-Forwarded-For') with the original client IP. Your application would then read this header and use its value for the "ip" or "$ip" property.LBKSHere's a general example of how you might do this in JavaScript: LBKSLBKS```LBKS// Assume you have a function to get the client IP from your proxy's custom header
function getClientIP() {
// Implementation depends on how your proxy and application are set up
// This is just a placeholder example
return someMethodToGetClientIPFromProxyHeader();
}LBKS// When tracking an event
mixpanel.track('Event Name', {
'ip': getClientIP(),
// other event properties
});LBKS// When updating a profile
mixpanel.people.set({
'$ip': getClientIP(),
// other profile properties
});LBKS```LBKSLBKSBy setting the IP explicitly, you ensure that Mixpanel uses the correct IP address for geolocation parsing, even when the requests are going through a proxy.LBKSRemember, as mentioned in the [Geolocation documentation](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/tracking-best-practices/geolocation#define-ip-address), Mixpanel does not store the IP address itself; it only uses it for geolocation parsing and then discards it.
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Based on the knowledge sources provided, I can explain the difference between setting ip as an event property and $ip as a user property, as well as address the possibility of setting ip as a super property.1. Difference between ip as event property and $ip as user property: According to the Geolocation documentation, there is a distinction in how you set the IP for events and user profiles: - For events: Use ip (without the dollar sign) as an event property.
- For user profiles: Use $ip (with the dollar sign) as a user property.The document states: "Note that ip is used for event payloads, and $ip is used for profile payloads."This difference is important because it affects how Mixpanel processes the IP information for geolocation parsing in events versus user profiles.2. Setting ip as a super property: Regarding setting ip as a super property, the knowledge sources don't explicitly mention this possibility. However, based on the general behavior of super properties and the special nature of the ip property, we can infer the following: - Super properties are typically used for properties that you want to include with every event automatically.
- The ip property is used specifically for geolocation parsing and is not stored with the event data.Given these factors, it's likely not recommended or necessary to set ip as a super property. Instead, you should set the ip property individually for each event where you need to specify a custom IP address for geolocation parsing.If you're using a proxy and need to consistently set the correct IP for all events, you would be better off implementing a custom function that adds the ip property to all your event tracking calls, rather than trying to use it as a super property.Remember, as mentioned in the Geolocation documentation, Mixpanel uses the IP address for geolocation parsing but does not store the IP address itself with your data. The IP is discarded after the geolocation properties (City, Region, Country) are generated.If you need more specific information about using ip as a super property, I would recommend consulting Mixpanel's documentation directly or contacting their support team, as the provided knowledge sources don't contain explicit information on this particular use case.
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Based on the knowledge sources provided and the context of our previous conversation, I would not recommend registering ip as a super event property to track geolocation for every event. Here's why: 1. Automatic IP handling: According to the Geolocation documentation, Mixpanel automatically handles IP-based geolocation without you needing to explicitly set the ip property for every event. The documentation states: "By default, geolocation properties are set using the IP address of the location in where the request was made."2. IP is not stored: As mentioned in the Geolocation documentation: "While the IP address is used to generate the geolocation properties, the IP address values itself are not stored." This means that even if you set ip as a super property, it wouldn't be stored with your events.3. Geolocation parsing: Mixpanel uses the IP address to parse geolocation data (City, Region, Country) automatically. You don't need to manually update it every time a user accesses your site.4. Client-side behavior: For client-side SDKs, the IP address of the request is automatically used for geolocation parsing. As stated in the Import Events documentation: "If you do not supply an ip property in your event payload, the IP address of the request will be used to parse for geolocation."Instead of registering ip as a super property, you should rely on Mixpanel's default behavior for geolocation tracking. The geolocation properties ($city, $region, mp_country_code) will be automatically added to your events based on the IP address of each request.If you're using a proxy or doing server-side tracking where the IP address might not be accurate, you should set the ip property for individual events as needed, rather than as a super property. This ensures that the correct IP is used for geolocation parsing on a per-event basis.Remember, the goal is to have accurate geolocation data for each event, which Mixpanel handles automatically in most cases. You only need to manually set the ip property when you're in a situation where the default IP detection wouldn't be accurate (like with server-side tracking or when using a proxy).
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