i built a cookieless analytics tool (and deleted my cookie banner)

My name is Om Yaduvanshi, and I'm an 18-year-old developer who has created a cloud-based website analytics tool called Cloudline. The inspiration for this project came from my experience using Google Analytics 4 (GA4) on a side project. After adding the mandatory cookie banner required by legal counsel, I noticed a significant number of visitors clicking "decline" and disappearing from my analytics data. This led me to realize that I was not measuring traffic, but rather just consent.

To address this issue, I developed an alternative solution: a single script tag under 2KB that can be easily integrated into your website's dashboard. The best part is that this tool operates without the need for cookies, storing no IP addresses, and without requiring the cookie banner for its core functionality. The data collected by Cloudline consists of just four pieces of information for each pageview: the page URL, the referrer, screen size, and the timestamp.

With this minimal data, the tool provides valuable insights such as top pages, traffic sources (including search, social media, newsletters, and even AI assistants), scroll depth, button clicks, and funnels. It also offers a live visitor count across up to 50 sites in one centralized dashboard.

The advantages of using Cloudline are particularly relevant for smaller websites or those looking to avoid the complexities of managing a GA4 dashboard. With Cloudline, you can skip the lengthy process of setting up and managing a cookie banner, which can often delay your launch or require constant updates to the banner's text. The tool is currently available in early access, completely free of charge, and can be accessed at trycloudline.space.

In the next 90 days, I will be sharing the development process of this project publicly, revealing the intricacies behind features like scroll depth tracking, which is designed to work without storing any personal information.