At a Glance: Bklit is an open-source, privacy-focused web analytics platform that provides real-time pageview and event tracking, a visual conversion funnel builder, and geographic insights through a WebSocket-based architecture with self-hosting support.
Overview: Bklit is an open-source analytics platform designed for modern web applications, offering real-time tracking of pageviews, custom events, user sessions, and conversion funnels. It uses a persistent WebSocket connection to deliver sub-second live data and instant session-ending detection when a browser tab closes. The platform includes a dashboard for data visualization and supports geographic insights with city-level precision. Bklit is structured as a monorepo built with Next.js, ClickHouse, Redis, and a custom WebSocket server, and it provides both a developer SDK and API. It can be self-hosted and offers unlimited data retention on all plans.
Key Decision Points:
Real-time architecture: Relies on persistent WebSocket connections, not polling, for sub-second live tracking and instant session termination when tabs close.
Self-hosting option: Can be self-hosted, which is relevant for users requiring complete data control or unlimited data retention.
Event storage: Uses ClickHouse as the backend for analytics event storage, a columnar database suited for high-volume analytical queries.
Optional service dependencies: Features like OAuth, billing, email sending, and map visualization are optional and require separate API keys to activate.
Core Features:
Real-time analytics: Tracks live pageviews and events with sub-second latency via WebSocket connections.
Visual funnel builder: Provides a visual interface for building and analyzing conversion funnels.
Geographic insights: Offers visitor location data with city-level precision.
Session tracking: Monitors user sessions, ending them instantly upon WebSocket disconnection (e.g., when a tab closes).
Developer SDK and API: Includes a TypeScript-based tracking SDK and a tRPC-based API for backend interactions.
Monorepo structure: The project is organized as a Turborepo-managed monorepo, separating the dashboard, playground, and documentation.
Use Cases:
Developers tracking custom events: Can use the provided SDK to instrument web applications and track specific user interactions beyond pageviews.
Product teams analyzing conversion paths: Can build visual funnels within the dashboard to identify drop-off points in a user flow.
Site owners needing real-time visitor data: Can monitor live page views and visitor locations on the dashboard map as they happen.
Open-Source Alternative Value: Bklit’s value as an open-source offering comes from its self-hosting option and unlimited data retention on all plans, which provides an alternative to SaaS analytics tools with data caps. Its architecture is transparently documented, using ClickHouse for event storage and WebSockets for real-time communication. Developers can extend or inspect the platform’s features, such as the funnel builder and SDK, with the option to enable paid services like billing or maps only if needed by adding their own API keys.
