OpenPanel

Description

OpenPanel is an open-source web and product analytics platform that serves as a privacy-friendly alternative to traditional analytics solutions. This WordPress plugin seamlessly integrates OpenPanel with your WordPress site while maximizing reliability and avoiding ad-blocker interference.

Key Features

  • 🚀 Ad-Blocker Resistant: Serves analytics scripts and API calls from your own domain
  • 📊 Real-Time Analytics: Get instant insights without processing delays
  • 🔒 Privacy-Friendly: Cookie-less tracking that respects user privacy (no cookie banners needed!)
  • ⚡ Performance Optimized: Caches scripts locally and uses efficient proxying
  • 🎯 Product Analytics: Funnel analysis, retention tracking, and conversion metrics
  • 📈 Web Analytics: Visitors, referrals, top pages, devices, sessions, and bounce rates

How It Works

This plugin integrates OpenPanel with WordPress in a blocker-resistant way:

  • Inlines op1.js directly into your pages (cached locally for 1 week; falls back to CDN if needed)
  • Bootstraps the OpenPanel SDK with your Client ID automatically
  • Proxies all SDK requests through WordPress REST API (/wp-json/openpanel/)
  • Preserves all request methods, headers, query parameters, and body data
  • Handles CORS properly for cross-origin requests

Why use a proxy? Serving scripts and data from your own domain origin avoids third-party blocking and improves tracking reliability significantly.

Privacy Benefits

  • 🍪 No Cookie Banners Required: OpenPanel uses cookie-less tracking, so you don’t need annoying cookie consent banners
  • 🛡️ GDPR Friendly: Compliant with privacy regulations without requiring user consent for basic analytics
  • 🔐 Data Ownership: You maintain full control over your analytics data
  • 🚫 No Personal Data Collection: Tracks behavior patterns without collecting personally identifiable information

Learn more at OpenPanel.dev

External Services

This plugin connects to external OpenPanel.dev services to provide web analytics functionality. Here’s what you need to know:

OpenPanel.dev Analytics Service

  • What it is: OpenPanel.dev is an open-source web and product analytics platform that combines the power of Mixpanel with the ease of Plausible and one of the best Google Analytics replacements.

  • What data is sent:

    • User Agent: Browser and device information for compatibility and analytics
    • IP Address: Collected from X-Forwarded-For header for geolocation (no personal identification)
    • Page Information: Current page URL/path and referrer information
    • Event Data: Other user-defined properties when custom events are triggered via window.op('track', 'event_name')
  • When data is sent:

    • Page Views: Only when « Track page views automatically » is enabled in settings
    • Outgoing Link Clicks: Only when « Track clicks on outgoing links » is enabled in settings
    • Custom Events: Only when website owner implements window.op('track', 'custom_event') method
    • No background tracking – data is sent only for the specific interactions you’ve configured
  • External endpoints used:

    • https://openpanel.dev/op1.js – Analytics tracking script (cached locally)
    • https://api.openpanel.dev/ – Analytics data collection API (proxied through your WordPress site)
  • Legal Information:

    • Service Terms: https://openpanel.dev/terms
    • Privacy Policy: https://openpanel.dev/privacy

This integration is essential for the plugin’s core functionality of providing website analytics. The plugin uses a proxy approach to serve requests through your own domain to improve reliability and avoid ad-blocker interference.

Installation

Getting Started

  1. Get your OpenPanel Client ID:

    • Sign up for an account at OpenPanel.dev
    • Create a new project for your website
    • Copy your Client ID (starts with op_client_)
  2. Install the Plugin:

    • Upload the plugin ZIP file via Plugins Add New Upload Plugin
    • Or place the openpanel folder in /wp-content/plugins/
    • Activate the plugin via Plugins Installed Plugins
  3. Configure Settings:

    • Go to Settings OpenPanel in your WordPress admin
    • Paste your Client ID in the settings
    • Optionally enable auto-tracking features:
      • Track page views automatically
      • Track clicks on outgoing links
      • Track additional page attributes
  4. Verify Installation:

    • Visit your website frontend
    • Check browser developer tools – you should see OpenPanel tracking requests to your own domain
    • Check your OpenPanel dashboard for incoming data

That’s it! No theme edits or manual code insertion required.

FAQ

What is OpenPanel?

OpenPanel is an open-source web and product analytics platform designed as a privacy-friendly alternative to traditional analytics solutions. It provides real-time insights, funnel analysis, retention tracking, and more while respecting user privacy.

Where is the proxy endpoint?

The proxy endpoint is at /wp-json/openpanel/ (followed by the OpenPanel API path). The SDK automatically points to this endpoint, so all analytics requests go through your WordPress site instead of directly to OpenPanel servers.

Why do I need this proxy approach?

Serving analytics scripts and API requests from your own domain significantly reduces blocking by ad-blockers and privacy tools. This improves data collection reliability and ensures more accurate analytics.

Does it respect CORS and security?

Yes. The proxy responds with proper CORS headers allowing your site origin and credentials. It also sanitizes all inputs and only forwards legitimate OpenPanel API requests.

What if inlining `op1.js` fails?

The plugin automatically falls back to loading the script from the OpenPanel CDN (https://openpanel.dev/op1.js) if the local caching fails for any reason.

How is the script cached?

The op1.js script is cached locally for 1 week using WordPress transients. You can manually clear the cache from the plugin settings page if needed.

Can I limit tracking to certain users or pages?

Yes! The plugin includes hooks and checks. For example, tracking is automatically disabled for admin pages. You can extend this by modifying the inject_inline_sdk() method or using WordPress filters.

Will this affect my site performance?

No, the plugin is designed for minimal performance impact. Scripts are cached locally, loaded asynchronously, and the proxy only handles analytics requests efficiently.

Do I need to modify my theme?

No theme modifications are required. The plugin automatically injects the necessary tracking code into all frontend pages.

Is my data secure?

Yes. OpenPanel respects privacy by design with cookie-less tracking. Your data ownership is maintained, and you can export or delete data as needed. Since no cookies are used, you don’t need cookie consent banners on your site.

Do I need cookie consent banners with OpenPanel?

No! OpenPanel uses cookie-less tracking technology, which means no cookies are stored on your visitors’ devices. This eliminates the need for cookie consent banners and makes your site GDPR compliant for basic analytics without requiring user consent.

Where can I get support?

For plugin-specific issues, use the WordPress plugin support forum. For OpenPanel platform questions, visit OpenPanel.dev or their community channels.

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Journal des modifications

1.0.0

  • Initial Release – Complete OpenPanel WordPress integration
  • ✅ Automatic script inlining with local caching (1 week cache duration)
  • ✅ REST API proxy for ad-blocker resistant tracking
  • ✅ Auto-tracking options: page views, outgoing links, page attributes
  • ✅ CORS-compliant request handling
  • ✅ Cache management with manual clear functionality
  • ✅ Fallback to CDN if local caching fails
  • ✅ Admin interface for easy configuration
  • ✅ No theme modifications required