Session Tracking FAQ

This section answers the commonly asked questions related to RudderStack’s session tracking feature.

General

Do RudderStack’s server-side SDKs support automatic session tracking?

No, the server-side SDKs do not support automatic session tracking.

How does RudderStack determine the session ID?

RudderStack sets the session ID (sessionId) as the current time in Unix epoch timestamp format.

Does RudderStack attach any user information to the sessionId?

RudderStack does not attach any user information to the sessionId. This is so that a user cannot be traced back or identified only with the sessionId.

How do I correctly count the number of sessions for a given user?

To correctly count the number of sessions, you can pair sessionId with the user’s anonymous ID (anonymousId) or user ID (userId) for identified users.

What happens to the existing session if I call the reset() API?

If you call the reset()API, RudderStack ends the existing session and generates a new one.

Which RudderStack APIs contribute to a session’s activeness?

The following RudderStack APIs contribute to a session’s activeness:

• identify
• track
• page
• group
• screen
• alias

What happens if I manually trigger a new session during an active session?

If you call the startSession() API while automatic session tracking is enabled, RudderStack ends the existing session and starts a new manual session.

JavaScript SDK

What happens if I set timeout to 0 or less than 10 seconds?

If you set the session’s timeout to 0, RudderStack disables automatic session tracking. This is because upon setting the timeout to 0, RudderStack creates a new session for each event. As such, enabling automatic session tracking serves no purpose.

If your session timeout is less than 10 seconds, RudderStack gives a caution but proceeds with the session tracking.

What happens I close a website tab and reopen it after some time?

If the time between the last event API invocation or SDK initialization before closing a browser tab and reopening a new one is less than the session timeout (default is 30 minutes), then RudderStack continues the same session. Otherwise, it starts a new session.

Does the existing session end if an identify call is made with a different userId?

If you identify a user with a new userId in an existing session, RudderStack triggers a reset() call. This ends the existing session and generates a new one.

This functionality is applicable for both automatic and manual session tracking.

Mobile SDKs

What is the scope of persistence in case of automatic session tracking?

When an application is closed completely and launched from scratch, RudderStack checks if the inactivity timeout of the previous automatically tracked session has elapsed. If yes, RudderStack creates a new session, otherwise, it continues the previous session.

What is the scope of persistence in case of manual session tracking?

The scope of manual session tracking depends on whether the automatic session tracking feature is enabled.

• If automatic session tracking is enabled: On the next app launch (from scratch), RudderStack clears the manual session even if endSession() is not called and generates a new automatic session.
• If automatic session tracking is disabled: On the next app launch, the manual session will still be active and cleared only when the user ends the session using endSession().

Where does RudderStack store the session tracking information?

For mobile SDKs,RudderStack stores the session tracking information in the following locations:

Questions? Contact us by email or on Slack