Data Retention & Deletion

Databuddy provides flexible data retention policies that balance analytical value with privacy and cost efficiency. All data stored is anonymous by design, containing no personal information.

What Data is Stored

Event Data

Every interaction tracked by Databuddy creates an event record:

Event Record Example

{
  "event_id": "evt_a7f3d9c2...",
  "event_type": "page_view",
  "website_id": "site_123",
  "anonymous_id": "anon_b8e4f1a3...",
  "session_id": "sess_c9f5e2b4...",
  "timestamp": 1709280000000,
  "path": "/pricing",
  "title": "Pricing - Databuddy",
  "referrer": "https://google.com",
  "viewport": "1920x1080",
  "language": "en-US",
  "timezone": "America/New_York",
  "country": "United States",
  "region": "California"
}

What’s NOT stored:

Full IP addresses (discarded after geo-lookup)
Personal identifiable information (names, emails, etc.)
Persistent cross-site identifiers
Device fingerprints

Session Data

Sessions are logical groupings of events within a 30-minute window:

Session Record Example

{
  "session_id": "sess_c9f5e2b4...",
  "website_id": "site_123",
  "anonymous_id": "anon_b8e4f1a3...",
  "start_time": 1709280000000,
  "last_activity": 1709281800000,
  "page_count": 5,
  "duration_seconds": 1800,
  "entry_page": "/",
  "exit_page": "/pricing",
  "utm_source": "google",
  "utm_campaign": "spring_2024",
  "country": "United States"
}

Sessions automatically expire after 30 minutes of inactivity:

Session Expiry Logic (tracker.ts:184-195)

const storedId = sessionStorage.getItem("did_session");
const sessionTimestamp = sessionStorage.getItem("did_session_timestamp");

if (storedId && sessionTimestamp) {
  const sessionAge = Date.now() - parseInt(sessionTimestamp, 10);
  if (sessionAge < 30 * 60 * 1000) {  // 30 minutes
    sessionStorage.setItem("did_session_timestamp", Date.now().toString());
    return storedId;
  }
  // Session expired - clean up
  sessionStorage.removeItem("did_session");
  sessionStorage.removeItem("did_session_timestamp");
  sessionStorage.removeItem("did_session_start");
}

Performance Metrics

Web vitals and performance data:

Performance Record Example

{
  "metric_type": "CLS",
  "value": 0.05,
  "website_id": "site_123",
  "page": "/dashboard",
  "timestamp": 1709280000000,
  "session_id": "sess_c9f5e2b4..."
}

Metrics tracked:

Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS, TTFB, FCP, INP)
Page load times
Time to interactive
Resource loading performance

Custom Events

User-defined tracking events:

Custom Event Example

{
  "event_id": "evt_d1a6e3f7...",
  "event_type": "custom",
  "name": "signup_completed",
  "website_id": "site_123",
  "anonymous_id": "anon_b8e4f1a3...",
  "session_id": "sess_c9f5e2b4...",
  "timestamp": 1709280000000,
  "properties": {
    "plan": "pro",
    "trial_days": 14,
    "source": "landing_page"
  }
}

Aggregated Statistics

Pre-computed aggregations for dashboard performance:

Daily Aggregation Example

{
  "date": "2024-03-01",
  "website_id": "site_123",
  "page": "/pricing",
  "total_views": 1247,
  "unique_visitors": 892,
  "avg_duration_seconds": 45,
  "bounce_rate": 0.35,
  "top_referrers": [
    {"source": "google.com", "count": 423},
    {"source": "direct", "count": 312}
  ]
}

Retention Policies

Default Retention Periods

Raw Events

90 days (configurable)Individual page views, clicks, and interactions

Aggregated Data

24 months (configurable)Daily/weekly/monthly statistics and trends

Session Data

90 days (configurable)Session metadata and journey information

Performance Metrics

90 days (configurable)Web vitals and performance measurements

Configurable Retention

You can customize retention periods for your website:

Navigate to Settings

Go to Website Settings → Data Management → Retention Policy

Choose Retention Period

Select from preset options:

30 days (minimal retention)
90 days (default)
180 days (6 months)
365 days (1 year)
730 days (2 years)
Custom period

Configure by Data Type

Set different retention for:

Raw events
Aggregated statistics
Performance metrics
Custom events

Apply Changes

Changes take effect within 24 hours. Existing data is not affected retroactively.

Best Practice: Retain raw events for 90 days for detailed analysis, and aggregated data for longer periods for trend analysis. This balances analytical value with storage costs and privacy.

Automatic Data Deletion

Databuddy automatically deletes data older than your retention period:

Daily Cleanup Process
Aggregation Before Deletion

Automated Deletion Query (conceptual)

-- Runs daily at 00:00 UTC
DELETE FROM events 
WHERE timestamp < NOW() - INTERVAL '90 days'
  AND website_id = 'site_123';

DELETE FROM sessions
WHERE start_time < NOW() - INTERVAL '90 days'
  AND website_id = 'site_123';

DELETE FROM web_vitals
WHERE timestamp < NOW() - INTERVAL '90 days'
  AND website_id = 'site_123';

Before deleting raw events, data is aggregated:

Aggregation Process (conceptual)

-- Create daily aggregates before deleting raw events
INSERT INTO daily_statistics
SELECT 
  DATE(timestamp) as date,
  website_id,
  page,
  COUNT(*) as total_views,
  COUNT(DISTINCT anonymous_id) as unique_visitors,
  AVG(duration_seconds) as avg_duration
FROM events
WHERE DATE(timestamp) = CURRENT_DATE - INTERVAL '90 days'
GROUP BY DATE(timestamp), website_id, page;

-- Then delete raw events
DELETE FROM events
WHERE DATE(timestamp) = CURRENT_DATE - INTERVAL '90 days';

Data Lifecycle

Event Processing Pipeline

Timeline Example

Manual Data Deletion

Delete Website Data

You can manually delete all analytics data for your website:

Navigate to Data Management

Go to Website Settings → Data Management → Delete Data

Choose Deletion Scope

Select what to delete:

All data - Complete removal of all analytics
Date range - Delete data between specific dates
Data type - Delete only events, sessions, or metrics

Confirm Deletion

Type your website domain to confirmThis action is irreversible

Processing

Deletion typically completes within minutes for small datasets, up to hours for large datasets (millions of events)

Irreversible Action: Deleted data cannot be recovered. Make sure you have exported any data you need before deletion.

Delete Specific Time Ranges

Delete data for a specific period:

API Example

curl -X DELETE https://api.databuddy.cc/v1/websites/{website_id}/data \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "start_date": "2024-01-01",
    "end_date": "2024-01-31",
    "data_types": ["events", "sessions"]
  }'

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "deleted": {
    "events": 45382,
    "sessions": 12043
  },
  "deletion_id": "del_a7f3d9c2...",
  "status": "processing"
}

Export Before Deletion

Always export data before manual deletion:

Export Data API

curl -X POST https://api.databuddy.cc/v1/websites/{website_id}/export \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "start_date": "2024-01-01",
    "end_date": "2024-03-31",
    "format": "csv",
    "data_types": ["events", "sessions", "aggregated"]
  }'

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "export_id": "exp_b8e4f1a3...",
  "status": "processing",
  "estimated_completion": "2024-03-01T15:30:00Z",
  "download_url": null
}

Check export status:

curl https://api.databuddy.cc/v1/exports/{export_id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

When complete, you’ll receive a download URL valid for 7 days.

Client-Side Data Deletion

Clear Anonymous ID

Users can clear their anonymous identifier at any time:

Clear Local Data

// Remove anonymous ID
localStorage.removeItem("did");

// Remove session data
sessionStorage.removeItem("did_session");
sessionStorage.removeItem("did_session_timestamp");
sessionStorage.removeItem("did_session_start");

Implemented in source: packages/tracker/src/index.ts:333-336

Complete Opt-Out

Disable all tracking permanently:

Opt Out Function

function optOutOfAnalytics() {
  // Set opt-out flags
  localStorage.setItem("databuddy_opt_out", "true");
  localStorage.setItem("databuddy_disabled", "true");
  
  // Clear existing data
  localStorage.removeItem("did");
  sessionStorage.removeItem("did_session");
  
  // Set global flag
  window.databuddyOptedOut = true;
  
  console.log("Analytics disabled. Reload page for changes to take effect.");
}

Implemented in source: packages/tracker/src/index.ts:404-405 The tracker respects opt-out on every request:

Opt-Out Check (utils.ts:47-48)

export function isOptedOut(): boolean {
  return (
    localStorage.getItem("databuddy_opt_out") === "true" ||
    localStorage.getItem("databuddy_disabled") === "true" ||
    window.databuddyOptedOut === true
  );
}

Privacy Controls Component

components/PrivacyControls.tsx

"use client";
import { useState, useEffect } from "react";

export function PrivacyControls() {
  const [hasData, setHasData] = useState(false);
  const [optedOut, setOptedOut] = useState(false);

  useEffect(() => {
    setHasData(!!localStorage.getItem("did"));
    setOptedOut(localStorage.getItem("databuddy_opt_out") === "true");
  }, []);

  const clearAllData = () => {
    // Clear anonymous ID
    localStorage.removeItem("did");
    sessionStorage.removeItem("did_session");
    sessionStorage.removeItem("did_session_timestamp");
    sessionStorage.removeItem("did_session_start");
    
    setHasData(false);
    alert("All local analytics data has been cleared.");
  };

  const toggleOptOut = () => {
    if (optedOut) {
      // Opt back in
      localStorage.removeItem("databuddy_opt_out");
      localStorage.removeItem("databuddy_disabled");
      setOptedOut(false);
    } else {
      // Opt out
      if (typeof window.databuddyOptOut === "function") {
        window.databuddyOptOut();
      } else {
        localStorage.setItem("databuddy_opt_out", "true");
        localStorage.setItem("databuddy_disabled", "true");
      }
      setOptedOut(true);
    }
  };

  return (
    <div className="space-y-4">
      <div>
        <h3 className="font-semibold">Your Analytics Data</h3>
        <p className="text-sm text-gray-600">
          {hasData 
            ? "You have an anonymous ID stored locally." 
            : "No analytics data stored."}
        </p>
      </div>

      <div className="flex gap-2">
        <button 
          onClick={clearAllData}
          disabled={!hasData}
          className="px-4 py-2 bg-gray-200 rounded disabled:opacity-50"
        >
          Clear Local Data
        </button>
        
        <button
          onClick={toggleOptOut}
          className="px-4 py-2 bg-blue-500 text-white rounded"
        >
          {optedOut ? "Enable Analytics" : "Disable Analytics"}
        </button>
      </div>

      <div className="text-xs text-gray-500">
        <p>Note: All data is anonymous and cannot identify you personally.</p>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

Storage & Costs

Storage Estimation

Typical storage per event:

Event Record: ~500 bytes
Session Record: ~300 bytes
Metric Record: ~200 bytes
Aggregation Record: ~1 KB

Monthly storage for 100,000 page views:

Raw events: 100,000 × 500 bytes = 50 MB
Sessions (~5 pages/session): 20,000 × 300 bytes = 6 MB
Daily aggregations: 30 × 1 KB = 30 KB
Total: ~56 MB/month

Annual storage (90-day raw, 24-month aggregated):

Raw events (3 months): 56 MB × 3 = 168 MB
Aggregations (24 months): 30 KB × 730 = 22 MB
Total: ~190 MB/year

Retention Impact on Storage

30 Days Retention
90 Days Retention (Default)
365 Days Retention
Custom (90d raw + 24m aggregated)

Storage: 56 MB/month × 1 = 56 MBUse case: Minimal compliance requirements, cost-sensitive applicationsLimitation: No long-term trend analysis

Cost Optimization

Sampling

Track only a percentage of traffic to reduce data volume:

<Databuddy 
  clientId="your-id"
  samplingRate={0.1}  // 10% of traffic
/>

Conditional Tracking

Track only important pages:

<Databuddy
  clientId="your-id"
  skipPatterns={["/admin/*", "/internal/*"]}
/>

Aggregation-First

Use shorter raw retention with longer aggregated retention30-day raw + 24-month aggregated = 70% storage savings

Selective Events

Disable tracking for low-value metrics:

<Databuddy
  clientId="your-id"
  trackPerformance={false}
  trackWebVitals={false}
/>

Compliance & Best Practices

Storage Limitation Principle (Article 5(1)(e))

Data must be kept only as long as necessary for the purposes of processing. Databuddy approach:

Default 90-day retention balances analytical value with privacy
Automatic deletion ensures data isn’t kept indefinitely
Aggregation preserves insights while removing granular data
User control over local data (clear anytime)

Privacy Shield Considerations

For EU data subjects:

Data is anonymous by design (not “personal data” under GDPR)
No cross-border personal data transfers occur
Retention policies configurable to meet local requirements
Automatic deletion ensures compliance with storage limitation

Industry Standards

E-commerce
SaaS/B2B
Content/Media
Enterprise

Recommended: 180-365 days

Long purchase cycles
Seasonal trends
Customer journey analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens when data is deleted?

Deleted data is permanently removed from all databases and backups within 30 days. It cannot be recovered.

Can I recover deleted data?

No. Once data passes its retention period or is manually deleted, it’s gone forever. Always export data before deletion if you might need it later.

Does changing retention affect existing data?

Increasing retention: Existing data is preserved longer.Decreasing retention: Data older than new retention period is deleted within 24 hours.

What's included in data exports?

Exports include:

Raw events with all properties
Session metadata
Aggregated statistics
Custom event properties

Formats: CSV, JSON, or Parquet

How long do export files remain available?

Export download URLs are valid for 7 days. After that, you’ll need to request a new export.

Can users request deletion of their anonymous ID?

Users can clear their anonymous ID themselves via localStorage. However, since it’s a random UUID not linked to personal data, GDPR deletion rights don’t technically apply.

Next Steps

GDPR Compliance

Learn how Databuddy is GDPR compliant by default

Cookie Policy

Understand our cookieless tracking approach

Data Processing

See where and how data is processed

API Reference

Manage data programmatically

Get Started

Core Concepts

SDK Integration

Tracking

Features

Privacy & Compliance

Self-Hosting

Guides

​What Data is Stored

​Event Data

​Session Data

​Performance Metrics

​Custom Events

​Aggregated Statistics

​Retention Policies

​Default Retention Periods

Raw Events

Aggregated Data

Session Data

Performance Metrics

​Configurable Retention

​Automatic Data Deletion

​Data Lifecycle

​Event Processing Pipeline

​Timeline Example

​Manual Data Deletion

​Delete Website Data

​Delete Specific Time Ranges

​Export Before Deletion

​Client-Side Data Deletion

​Clear Anonymous ID

​Complete Opt-Out

​Privacy Controls Component

​Storage & Costs

​Storage Estimation

​Retention Impact on Storage

​Cost Optimization

Sampling

Conditional Tracking

Aggregation-First

Selective Events

​Compliance & Best Practices

​GDPR Data Retention

​Privacy Shield Considerations

​Industry Standards

​Frequently Asked Questions

​Next Steps

GDPR Compliance

Cookie Policy

Data Processing

API Reference

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

What Data is Stored

Event Data

Session Data

Performance Metrics

Custom Events

Aggregated Statistics

Retention Policies

Default Retention Periods

Configurable Retention

Automatic Data Deletion

Data Lifecycle

Event Processing Pipeline

Timeline Example

Manual Data Deletion

Delete Website Data

Delete Specific Time Ranges

Export Before Deletion

Client-Side Data Deletion

Clear Anonymous ID

Complete Opt-Out

Privacy Controls Component

Storage & Costs

Storage Estimation

Retention Impact on Storage

Cost Optimization

Compliance & Best Practices

GDPR Data Retention

Privacy Shield Considerations

Industry Standards

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps