Cookies are small files. We use them to keep you logged in, understand how the platform is used, and track traffic from articles we publish for you. Here's exactly what we set and why.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by a website when you visit. They allow the website to remember information about your visit — like whether you're logged in, your preferences, or how you navigate the site.
Cookies are not viruses. They cannot execute code or carry malware. They can only store text data and can only be read by the domain that set them.
We also use related technologies like localStorage and sessionStorage (browser-side key-value storage) to keep you authenticated and store UI state between page loads.
2. Cookies We Use — Overview
Traffi.app uses three categories of cookies:
- Essential — Required for the platform to function. Cannot be disabled.
- Analytics — Help us understand how you use the platform. Can be disabled.
- Tracking — Track traffic from articles published on your behalf. Required for the core service.
3. Essential Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary for the platform to work. The service cannot function without them, so they cannot be disabled.
| Name |
Type |
Duration |
Purpose |
at_token |
Essential |
7 days |
Authentication token. Keeps you logged into your Traffi.app account. Cleared on logout. |
token (localStorage) |
Essential |
Session / 7 days |
JWT authentication token stored in browser localStorage. Used to authenticate API requests from the frontend. |
csrf_state |
Essential |
15 minutes |
CSRF protection token used during OAuth flows (connecting external accounts like Dev.to). Expires automatically. |
Authentication tokens are signed using industry-standard JWT (JSON Web Token) with a secret key. They do not contain your password. They expire after 7 days, requiring re-login.
4. Analytics Cookies
We use Google Analytics to understand aggregate usage patterns — which features are popular, where users drop off, and how the platform is navigated. This helps us improve the product.
| Name |
Provider |
Duration |
Purpose |
_ga |
Google Analytics |
2 years |
Distinguishes unique users. Contains a randomly generated client ID. Does not contain personal information. |
_ga_* |
Google Analytics |
2 years |
Maintains session state for Google Analytics 4 (GA4). |
_gid |
Google Analytics |
24 hours |
Distinguishes users during a 24-hour window. Used to limit repeated data collection. |
_gat |
Google Analytics |
1 minute |
Throttles request rate. Limits data collection if you're interacting rapidly with the platform. |
Google Analytics data is anonymized — IP addresses are truncated before being stored. We do not share this data with Google for advertising purposes (Google Signals is disabled).
You can opt out of Google Analytics across all websites using the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
5. Tracking & Performance Cookies
Our core service includes distributing articles with tracked links (via track.traffi.app). When a reader clicks a link in one of your published articles, they pass through our tracking redirect, which logs the click before redirecting them to your website or the target URL.
| Name |
Domain |
Duration |
Purpose |
_trffi_vid |
track.traffi.app |
365 days |
Anonymous visitor ID. Used to de-duplicate click counts (so 10 clicks from the same person count as 1 unique visitor, not 10). Contains no personal information — it's a random UUID generated per browser. |
_trffi_ref |
track.traffi.app |
Session |
Stores the referral source (which article drove the click) for attribution purposes. Cleared at session end. |
What We Track at track.traffi.app
When a click passes through our tracking redirect, we log:
- The article that was clicked (article ID, not the full URL)
- A truncated IP address (last octet removed for anonymization)
- The HTTP referrer (which platform the click came from)
- Browser user agent string (for device type categorization)
- Timestamp of the click
This data is used exclusively to generate your traffic analytics dashboard. It is not shared with third parties or used for advertising.
Why is this required? Traffic attribution is the core value proposition of Traffi.app — you need to know which articles are driving traffic to your site. If you disable track.traffi.app cookies, we can still count total clicks but cannot de-duplicate unique visitors.
6. GDPR Cookie Consent
Under the EU ePrivacy Directive and GDPR, we categorize our cookies by whether consent is required:
- Essential cookies — No consent required (strictly necessary for the service to function).
- Analytics cookies (Google Analytics) — Consent required for EU/UK users. We request consent via a cookie banner on your first visit.
- Tracking cookies (track.traffi.app) — Used as part of the service you signed up for. Covered by the service's legitimate interests and contractual basis.
When you first visit Traffi.app from the EU or UK, you'll see a cookie consent banner. You may:
- Accept all — All cookies including analytics are set.
- Accept essential only — Only session and auth cookies are set. Analytics cookies are blocked.
You can change your consent preference at any time by clearing your cookies and revisiting the site, or by emailing hello@traffi.app.
7. Managing & Disabling Cookies
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Here's how to manage cookies in common browsers:
- Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
- Firefox: Preferences → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
- Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
- Edge: Settings → Privacy, search, and services → Cookies and site permissions
You can also use your browser's developer tools (Application → Cookies) to view and delete specific cookies set by traffi.app.
Heads up: Disabling essential cookies (especially at_token and localStorage) will log you out of Traffi.app and prevent you from staying logged in. The platform requires these to function.
Do Not Track (DNT)
Some browsers support a "Do Not Track" signal. We respect DNT signals by disabling Google Analytics tracking when DNT is enabled. Our essential and service-tracking cookies are not affected by DNT signals.
8. Third-Party Cookies
Third parties that may set cookies through our service:
| Provider |
Purpose |
Their Policy |
| Google Analytics |
Usage analytics (page views, sessions, user counts) |
Google Privacy Policy |
| Stripe |
Payment processing. Stripe may set fraud prevention cookies during checkout. |
Stripe Privacy Policy |
| Google Fonts |
Font loading. Google may log font requests (no personal data in these requests). |
Google Privacy Policy |
We do not allow advertising networks or data brokers to set cookies on Traffi.app. If you encounter a cookie from an unexpected third party, please report it to hello@traffi.app.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy as our use of cookies evolves or as regulations change. When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
For material changes — such as adding new cookie categories — we'll notify you via a cookie consent banner or email.