Real-Time Analytics

Monitor website activity and user behavior as it happens

Overview

Real-time analytics in Vemetric gives you immediate visibility into website activity as it happens. Track current visitors, see events as they fire, and monitor live traffic patterns without any delay.

Live Dashboard Mode

Accessing Live Mode

Switch to real-time monitoring:

1. Navigate to Dashboard

   Go to your main analytics dashboard

2. Click Live Indicator

   Click the green “Live” badge next to the Users metric, or select “Live” from the timespan dropdown

3. Monitor in Real-Time

   The dashboard switches to live mode and updates automatically every 30 seconds

Live Mode Features

When in live mode, you see:

• Current active users - How many people are on your site right now
• Real-time chart - Activity over the last 30 minutes with 30-second intervals
• Live events - Events being triggered as users interact
• Updated metrics - Page views, locations, and sources refreshing automatically

Live mode shows data from the past 30 minutes, updating every 30 seconds to capture the most recent activity.

Current Active Users

The active users metric shows:

• User count - Number of users currently active on your site
• Live indicator - Green status badge showing real-time tracking
• Click to expand - Tooltip showing exact count
• Auto-refresh - Updates automatically without page reload

What Counts as Active?

A user is considered active when:

• They have sent an event in the last 5 minutes
• Their session is still ongoing
• They haven’t closed the browser tab

The active users count updates every few seconds, giving you an accurate real-time view of current traffic.

Live Event Stream

The Events page provides a real-time feed of all activity:

Event Stream Features

• Auto-updating stream - New events appear automatically every 5 seconds
• Live badge - Green indicator confirms real-time connection
• Smooth animations - New events slide in at the top
• No refresh needed - Updates happen in the background

Event Information

Each event in the live stream shows:

• Event name - What action occurred
• Timestamp - Exact time (“just now”, “2 seconds ago”)
• User details - Who performed the action
• Page context - Where it happened
• Event properties - Additional data captured

The event stream pauses auto-updates when you scroll down to review older events. Scroll back to the top to resume live updates.

Real-Time Chart

The live dashboard chart visualizes activity:

Chart Characteristics

• 30-minute window - Shows the last 30 minutes of data
• 30-second intervals - Each data point represents 30 seconds
• Animated updates - Chart smoothly animates as new data arrives
• Multiple metrics - Toggle between users, page views, events
• Dashed line indicator - Current period shows as dashed to indicate live data

Reading the Live Chart

Solid vs Dashed Lines

Solid lines represent complete 30-second intervals. Dashed lines show the current incomplete interval that’s still accumulating data.

Spikes and Patterns

Sharp spikes indicate sudden traffic increases. Use this to spot when content goes viral, campaigns launch, or issues occur.

Zero Values

Gaps or zero values indicate periods with no activity. This is normal during off-peak hours or for new sites.

Real-Time Use Cases

Product Launches

Monitor traffic spikes and user behavior when releasing new features or products.

Marketing Campaigns

Track campaign effectiveness immediately after sending emails or posting on social media.

Content Publishing

See how quickly new blog posts or content attract visitors and engagement.

Live Events

Monitor online activity during webinars, live streams, or virtual events.

Issue Detection

Spot sudden drops in traffic or error events that might indicate site problems.

Peak Traffic Monitoring

Watch server load during high-traffic periods like sales or promotions.

Live User Journeys

Online Status Indicator

On the Users page, see who’s currently active:

• Green dot - User is currently online (active in last 5 minutes)
• Gray dot - User is offline
• Last seen timestamp - When they were last active

Real-Time User Timeline

When viewing a user’s journey:

• New events appear automatically as the user takes actions
• Online status updates in real-time
• Session information refreshes live
• No need to reload the page

Use live user journeys to debug issues in real-time. Watch as a user navigates and see where they encounter problems.

Geographic Real-Time Data

The countries and cities cards update live:

• See which regions are currently active
• Spot geographic traffic patterns as they develop
• Identify international interest in your content
• Monitor time-zone based traffic variations

Technology Stack Monitoring

Real-time tracking of:

• Browsers - Which browsers active users are using now
• Devices - Current distribution of desktop vs mobile vs tablet
• Operating Systems - OS breakdown of current visitors

Refresh Intervals

Different data types update at different rates:

Data Type	Update Frequency
Active Users	Every 3-5 seconds
Event Stream	Every 5 seconds
Live Chart	Every 30 seconds
Dashboard Cards	Every 30 seconds
User Online Status	Every 5 seconds

Refresh intervals are optimized for performance while maintaining real-time accuracy.

Performance Considerations

Browser Requirements

For optimal real-time updates:

• Use a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• Enable JavaScript
• Allow background data fetching
• Maintain stable internet connection

Connection Status

The live indicator shows connection health:

• Green “Live” - Connected and receiving updates
• Yellow “Connecting” - Attempting to reconnect
• Red “Disconnected” - Connection lost, will retry

If the connection drops, Vemetric automatically attempts to reconnect. If issues persist, check your internet connection or browser console for errors.

Combining Real-Time with Filters

Apply filters in live mode:

• Filter by country to see real-time activity from specific regions
• Track events from mobile users only
• Monitor specific pages or features live
• Focus on campaign traffic in real-time

Filters apply immediately to the live stream and update continuously.

Alerts and Notifications

While viewing real-time data:

• Browser tab title updates with active user count
• Visual notifications for unusual traffic spikes
• Keep the tab open to maintain real-time monitoring

Keep your Vemetric dashboard open in a browser tab during important events. The active user count in the tab title keeps you informed even when you’re in other tabs.

Switching Back to Historical View

Exit live mode:

1. Click the timespan selector
2. Choose any historical period (Today, 7 days, 30 days, etc.)
3. Dashboard switches to historical analysis mode
4. Real-time updates stop; static data loads

Best Practices

1. Monitor During Key Moments

   Use live mode during product launches, marketing campaigns, or content publishing to gauge immediate response.

2. Combine with Historical Data

   Switch between live and historical views to understand patterns and trends.

3. Set Expectations

   Remember that real-time data may show incomplete patterns. Use historical periods for strategic analysis.

4. Use for Debugging

   When users report issues, watch their live session to see exactly what’s happening.

Limitations

Real-time mode is designed for monitoring current activity, not historical analysis. For trends and patterns, use standard time periods like 7 days or 30 days.

What’s Not Available in Live Mode

• Previous period comparisons (no historical baseline)
• Funnels (require complete time periods)
• Long-term trend analysis
• Custom date ranges

Technical Details

Data Freshness

Real-time data in Vemetric is:

• Processed in under 1 second from event occurrence
• Aggregated in near real-time
• Available across all analytics views immediately
• Accurate within a few seconds

Scalability

The real-time system handles:

• Thousands of concurrent users
• Millions of events per hour
• Multiple dashboard viewers simultaneously
• No degradation in update speed at scale

Troubleshooting

Live updates stopped

Check your internet connection. The dashboard will show a “Disconnected” status if it can’t reach the server. It will automatically reconnect when possible.

Active user count seems wrong

The count includes only users active in the last 5 minutes. It may take a few minutes for users who left to be removed from the count.

Events not appearing

Verify your tracking implementation is working by checking the browser console for errors. Events should appear within 5 seconds of occurrence.

Chart not updating

Refresh the page. If the issue persists, check browser console for JavaScript errors or try a different browser.

Next Steps

Dashboard

Explore all dashboard features including live mode

Events

Set up event tracking to monitor in real-time

User Journeys

Watch individual users navigate your site live

Filtering

Apply filters to real-time data streams