Setting Up Real User Monitoring

This guide will walk you through enabling Real User Monitoring for your domains in smoxy.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • ✅ Owner or Maintainer role in your smoxy account

  • ✅ Ability to add a JavaScript snippet to your website's HTML

Real User Monitoring can be enabled for up to 10 domains per configuration. If you need to monitor more domains, contact support.

Step 1: Access RUM Configuration

  1. Log in to the smoxy Hub

  2. Click on Real User Monitoring

  3. Click the RUM Settings button

Step 2: Configure Your Domains

Add Domains to Monitor

In the RUM configuration panel:

  1. Add Domains: Enter up to 10 domains you want to monitor

    • You can add any domain - they don't need to be configured in smoxy

    • This allows you to monitor domains even if you're only using RUM (not other smoxy features)

    • Simply type the domain name and add it to your list

Example Configuration

Added Domains:
- www.example.com
- shop.example.com
- blog.example.com

  1. Click Save

After saving, smoxy will generate:

  • A unique RUM Token (format: srt-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)

  • A JavaScript snippet for your website

Step 3: Install the Tracking Snippet

Copy Your Snippet

After configuration, you'll see a JavaScript snippet similar to this:

<script>
    (function() {
        var tok = 'srt-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'; // Token unique to each customer
        var org = 123;
        var img = 'https://svc.smoxy.eu/_sx/a/perf.gif'; // Path to the tracking pixel
        var url = 'https://svc.smoxy.eu/_sx/a/core.js'; // Path to the core script

        // Function to load the core script
        function loadCore() {
            var scr = document.createElement('script'); // Create a script element
            scr.src = url + '?token=' + encodeURIComponent(tok); // Append query params
            scr.async = true; // Ensure the script loads asynchronously
            scr.defer = true; // Defer loading until HTML parsing is complete

            scr.onload = function() {
                // Once the core script is loaded, call the initialization function
                if (typeof window.initM === 'function') {
                    window.initM(tok, org); // Pass token and org
                }
            };

            document.head.appendChild(scr); // Attach the script to the document head
        }

        // Function to load the tracking pixel
        function loadImage() {
            var pix = new Image(); // Create a new image element
            pix.onload = loadCore; // On successful load of the pixel, load the core script
            pix.onerror = function() {
                loadCore();
            };
            pix.src = img;
        }

        // Use requestIdleCallback if available, otherwise fallback to setTimeout
        if ('requestIdleCallback' in window) {
            requestIdleCallback(loadImage, { timeout: 5000 }); // Use requestIdleCallback with a timeout of 5 seconds
        } else {
            setTimeout(loadImage, 1); // Fallback: load the image immediately
        }
    })();
</script>

Add to Your Website

Place the snippet just before the closing </head> tag of your website's HTML template.

Best Practice: Add the snippet to your website's global header template so it's automatically included on all pages.

Implementation Examples

WordPress: Add to your theme's header.php before </head>, or use a plugin like "Insert Headers and Footers" to add the snippet to the header section.

Shopify: Go to Online Store → Themes → Actions → Edit code, open theme.liquid, and paste the snippet before </head>.

Next.js / React: Use the next/script component with strategy="afterInteractive" in your root layout or _app file.

HTML / Static Sites: Simply paste the snippet in your HTML template's <head> section, just before the closing </head> tag.

Step 4: Verify Installation

Check Data Collection

After installing the snippet:

  1. Visit your website in a browser

  2. Open Developer Tools (F12)

  3. Go to the Network tab

  4. Look for requests to rum.smoxy.eu/_sx/a

  5. You should see:

    • A request to perf.gif (tracking pixel)

    • A request to core.js (RUM script)

    • POST requests to /_sx/a (data being sent)

If you see these requests, RUM is working correctly! Data will appear in your dashboard within a few minutes.

Dashboard Verification

  1. Navigate to Real User Monitoring in the smoxy Hub

  2. Click View Analytics or Dashboard

  3. Wait 2-5 minutes for initial data to appear

  4. You should see data starting to populate in the widgets

No data showing?

  • Verify the snippet is on all pages

  • Check that your domain matches the configured domains exactly

  • Clear your browser cache and reload the page

  • Check browser console for any JavaScript errors

Step 5: Understanding Your Configuration

RUM Token

Your RUM token (srt-xxxxx...) is unique to your account and is used to:

  • Authenticate data submissions

  • Associate data with your organization

  • Validate incoming requests

Keep your token secure! While the token is not sensitive like a password, treat it as you would any API key. Don't commit it to public repositories.

Domain Validation

smoxy validates every RUM data submission:

  • The domain field must match one of your configured domains

  • Subdomains are matched exactly (e.g., www.example.com ≠ example.com)

  • Invalid domains are automatically rejected

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem: Data not appearing after 10+ minutes Solution:

  • Verify domain in snippet matches configured domains exactly

  • Visit the site multiple times to trigger sampling

Problem: RUM slowing down page load Solution: This should not happen as RUM uses requestIdleCallback. Check:

  • No JavaScript errors blocking execution

  • Snippet is in <head>, not <body>

  • You're using the latest snippet version

Problem: Seeing duplicate data Solution: Ensure snippet is only included once on each page

What's Next?

Now that RUM is collecting data, learn how to use it:

Pro Tip: Give RUM 24-48 hours to collect sufficient data before making major optimization decisions. This ensures you have statistically significant insights.

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