User Agent Populator

Last updated:

This app enhances incoming events by including browser & OS details from the $useragent property.

Note: This app is generally only needed when using clients that don't already set these properties, or when sending events directly from the server.

This app extracts the following properties from the provided $useragent:

PropertyDescriptionExample
$browserName of the browser for the userChrome, Firefox
$browser_versionThe version of the browser that was used70, 79
$osThe operating system of the userWindows, Mac OS X
$browser_typeThe type of client that made the requestbot, browser

Installation

PostHog Cloud

PostHog Cloud users can find the app here in their dashboard.

Before you can enable the app, you will need to configure it by clicking on the settings icon. Once the app has been configured, you can enable it by flipping the toggle and it will start transforming all new events.

PostHog Self-hosted

The User Agent Populator requires a PostHog instance running version 1.30.0 or later. Not running 1.30.0? Find out how to update!

  1. Visit the 'Apps' page in your instance of PostHog.
  2. Search for 'User Agent Populator'.
  3. Configure the app by clicking on the settings icon.
  4. Click the toggle to enable the app.

Once the app has been configured and enabled, it will begin to transform all new events which come into PostHog.

Configuration

Before an app can be enabled in PostHog, it has to be configured.

OptionDescription
Can override existing browser related properties of event?
Type: string
Required: False
If the ingested event already have $browser $browser_version properties in combination with $useragent the $browser, $browser_version properties will be re-populated with the value of $useragent
Automatically read segment_userAgent property, automatically sent by Segment via analytics.js?
Type: choice
Required: False
Segment's analytics.js library automatically sends a useragent property that Posthog sees as segment_userAgent. Enabling this causes this plugin to parse that property

Using the User Agent Populator

This app works by parsing the $useragent property on events as they are ingested. As a result, if an event is ingested without the $useragent (or $user-agent) property set, this app will do nothing. This property can be set using any of our client or server libraries.

Note: Most of our client libraries will already automatically extract the $browser, $browser_version, and $os properties, so there is no need to set the $useragent property when using these libraries.

One common use-case for this app is populating client information when sending events from the server-side. Typically, a UserAgent header will be set when a client sends a request to your server, which your server can then forward to PostHog with the $useragent property. This gives you an idea of what types of clients are using your service and allows you to create insights that filter based on these properties.

What if my question isn't answered above?

We love answering questions. Ask us anything in our community forums or using the Q&A widget at the bottom of this page.

FAQ

Who maintains this app?

This app is maintained by the community. If you have issues with the app not functioning as intended, please let us know!

What if I have feedback on this app?

We love feature requests and feedback! Please tell us what you think! to tell us what you think.

Or, if you see the feedback widget enabled, use that!

What if my question isn't answered above?

We love answering questions. Ask us anything via our community forum, or drop us a message.

Questions?

Was this page useful?

Next article

Overview

Note: You can create apps for both self-hosted and PostHog Cloud, but releasing an app on PostHog Cloud requires a review process. Read more about the review process in the tutorial PostHog makes it possible to build your own apps and integrate with other platforms. So, if App Store is missing something you need then you may still be able to create it yourself. Apps can add more information to an event, modify existing properties, import or export data, or trigger a range of other activities…

Read next article