Guides
Identify users
Events without a user still count — identifying ties them to a person, so you can follow journeys and build cohorts.
The identify call
Call identify when a user logs in or signs up. The first argument is your stable ID for them — the same ID your backend uses. Calling it again with new properties merges them; existing keys are overwritten.
// After login or signup
alitycs.identify('usr_1842', {
$email: 'mia@acme.com',
$name: 'Mia Chen',
plan: 'pro',
});Anonymous users
Before anyone logs in, the browser SDK assigns a device-scoped anonymous ID and tracks against it. When you identify, the anonymous history merges into the user's profile — signup funnels stay intact across the login boundary.
anon_9f2c41usr_1842merged on first identifyEach anonymous ID merges once. Identifying the same device as a different user later starts a fresh profile — it never re-assigns old events.
User properties
$-prefixed properties power built-in UI — avatars, display names, the Users list. Everything else is yours.
| Property | Used for |
|---|---|
$email | Shown in the Users list; used for lookup |
$name | Display name on profiles and avatars |
$created_at | Account age — powers cohort-by-signup-date |
plan, company, … | Custom — filter and group like any event property |
Logging out
On shared devices, reset at logout so the next person's events don't land on the previous profile.
// On logout — unlinks the device from the user
alitycs.reset();