---
title: Track
description: This guide demonstrates how to interact with the OpenPanel API using cURL. These examples provide a low-level understanding of the API endpoints and can be useful for testing or for integrations where a full SDK isn't available.
---

## Good to know

- If you want to track **geo location** you'll need to pass the `ip` property as a header `x-client-ip`
- If you want to track **device information** you'll need to pass the `user-agent` property as a header `user-agent`

## Authentication

All requests to the OpenPanel API require authentication. You'll need to include your `clientId` and `clientSecret` in the headers of each request.

```bash
-H "openpanel-client-id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
-H "openpanel-client-secret: YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"
```

## Usage

### Base URL

All API requests should be made to:

```
https://api.openpanel.dev
```

### Tracking Events

To track an event:

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.openpanel.dev/track \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "openpanel-client-id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
-H "openpanel-client-secret: YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
-d '{
  "type": "track",
  "payload": {
    "name": "my_event",
    "properties": {
      "foo": "bar"
    }
  }
}'
```

### Identifying Users

To identify a user:

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.openpanel.dev/track \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "openpanel-client-id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
-H "openpanel-client-secret: YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
-d '{
  "type": "identify",
  "payload": {
    "profileId": "123",
    "firstName": "Joe",
    "lastName": "Doe",
    "email": "joe@doe.com",
    "properties": {
      "tier": "premium"
    }
  }
}'
```

### Incrementing Properties
To increment a numeric property:

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.openpanel.dev/track \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "openpanel-client-id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
-H "openpanel-client-secret: YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
-d '{
  "type": "increment",
  "payload": {
    "profileId": "1",
    "property": "visits",
    "value": 1
  }
}'
```

### Decrementing Properties
To decrement a numeric property:

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.openpanel.dev/track \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "openpanel-client-id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
-H "openpanel-client-secret: YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
-d '{
  "type": "decrement",
  "payload": {
    "profileId": "1",
    "property": "visits",
    "value": 1
  }
}'
```

### Creating or updating a group

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.openpanel.dev/track \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "openpanel-client-id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
-H "openpanel-client-secret: YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
-d '{
  "type": "group",
  "payload": {
    "id": "org_acme",
    "type": "company",
    "name": "Acme Inc",
    "properties": {
      "plan": "enterprise",
      "seats": 25
    }
  }
}'
```

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|-------|------|----------|-------------|
| `id` | `string` | Yes | Unique identifier for the group |
| `type` | `string` | Yes | Category of group (e.g. `"company"`, `"workspace"`) |
| `name` | `string` | Yes | Display name |
| `properties` | `object` | No | Custom metadata |

### Assigning a user to a group

Links a profile to one or more groups. This updates the profile record but does not auto-attach groups to future events — you still need to pass `groups` explicitly on each track call.

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.openpanel.dev/track \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "openpanel-client-id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
-H "openpanel-client-secret: YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
-d '{
  "type": "assign_group",
  "payload": {
    "profileId": "user_123",
    "groupIds": ["org_acme"]
  }
}'
```

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|-------|------|----------|-------------|
| `profileId` | `string` | No | Profile to assign. Falls back to the device ID if omitted |
| `groupIds` | `string[]` | Yes | Group IDs to link to the profile |

### Tracking events with groups

Groups are never auto-populated on events — even if the profile has been assigned to a group via `assign_group`. Pass `groups` on every track event where you want group data.

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.openpanel.dev/track \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "openpanel-client-id: YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
-H "openpanel-client-secret: YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
-d '{
  "type": "track",
  "payload": {
    "name": "report_exported",
    "profileId": "user_123",
    "groups": ["org_acme"],
    "properties": {
      "format": "pdf"
    }
  }
}'
```

Unlike the SDK, where `setGroup()` stores group IDs on the instance and attaches them to every subsequent `track()` call, the API has no such state. You must pass `groups` on each event.

### Error Handling
The API uses standard HTTP response codes to indicate the success or failure of requests. In case of an error, the response body will contain more information about the error.
Example error response:

```json
{
  "error": "Invalid client credentials",
  "status": 401
}
```

### Rate Limiting

The API implements rate limiting to prevent abuse. If you exceed the rate limit, you'll receive a 429 (Too Many Requests) response. The response will include headers indicating your rate limit status.

Best Practices
	1.	Always use HTTPS to ensure secure communication.
	2.	Store your clientId and clientSecret securely and never expose them in client-side code.
	3.	Implement proper error handling in your applications.
	4.	Respect rate limits and implement exponential backoff for retries.