Understanding the Limitations of Client-Side Tracking for Error Monitoring | Mixpanel Community

Understanding the Limitations of Client-Side Tracking for Error Monitoring

If client-side tracking can lead to data loss due to network connection issues, app termination, and device problems, why is error tracking not recommended?

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kapa.ai
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Hi j o., 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> 👋
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kapa.ai
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Based on the knowledge sources provided, there isn't specific information addressing why error tracking is not recommended for client-side tracking in Mixpanel. The documents don't directly discuss error tracking in this context.However, the sources do highlight some key points about client-side tracking: 1. Client-side tracking can be unreliable due to ad-blockers and other factors. According to Mixpanel's blog on choosing data architecture, "Web tracking is often unreliable due to ad blockers, and mobile tracking is tricky since iOS and Android diverge code with new versions."2. Mixpanel generally recommends server-side tracking over client-side tracking for better reliability and data accuracy. The Mixpanel documentation on choosing the right tracking method states: "We recommend tracking everything you possibly can via your servers, and only supplementing that with client-side tracking when necessary."3. If client-side tracking must be used, Mixpanel recommends using a proxy to improve reliability. The same documentation mentions: "You can improve client-side SDKs by establishing a proxy between the client and Mixpanel—and we highly recommend this for client-side implementations."While these points don't directly address error tracking, they suggest that Mixpanel's approach to dealing with client-side tracking issues is to recommend more reliable tracking methods (server-side or proxy) rather than implementing error tracking on the client side. However, without more specific information from the knowledge sources, I can't provide a definitive answer as to why error tracking is not recommended.
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