Understanding $ip as a Default Property in Client-Side SDKs
Is $ip a default property that automatically collected by client-side sdk?
Hi Sharon L., Please stand by as I search the Mixpanel knowledge base for an AI-powered answer. I normally take about 15 seconds or so. In case AI cannot answer your question, feel free to reach out to Mixpanel support at mixpanel.com/get-support. If you have follow-up questions for this thread, please tag me again with your question: @kapa.ai <follow-up question> đź‘‹
Feel free to ask a follow-up question once I've answered by mentioning me with @kapa.ai
Based on the knowledge sources provided, 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.
kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! đź“š
Yes, even if the "ip" property and when not to, based on the information from the knowledge sources: 1. Default Behavior (Not Sending "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" 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
ipproperty 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" to 0: Set "ip", "0"); // do not update profile location```In 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.kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! đź“š
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({ '$ip': getClientIP(), // other profile properties });LBKS```LBKSLBKSBy setting the IP explicitly, you ensure that Mixpanel uses the correct IP address for geolocation parsing, even when the requests are going through a proxy.LBKSRemember, as mentioned in the [Geolocation documentation](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/tracking-best-practices/geolocation#define-ip-address), Mixpanel does not store the IP address itself; it only uses it for geolocation parsing and then discards it.kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! đź“š
Based on the knowledge sources provided, I can explain the difference between setting
ipas an event property and$ipas a user property, as well as address the possibility of settingipas a super property.1. Difference betweenipas event property and$ipas user property: According to the Geolocation documentation, there is a distinction in how you set the IP for events and user profiles: - For events: Useip(without the dollar sign) as an event property. - For user profiles: Use$ip(with the dollar sign) as a user property.The document states: "Note thatipis used for event payloads, and$ipis 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. Settingipas a super property: Regarding settingipas 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 theipproperty, we can infer the following: - Super properties are typically used for properties that you want to include with every event automatically. - Theipproperty 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 setipas a super property. Instead, you should set theipproperty 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 theipproperty 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 usingipas 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.kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! đź“š
Based on the knowledge sources provided and the context of our previous conversation, I would not recommend registering
ipas 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 theipproperty 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 setipas 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 anipproperty in your event payload, the IP address of the request will be used to parse for geolocation."Instead of registeringipas 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 theipproperty 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 theipproperty 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).kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.