> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.clickbase.so/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cookieless vs cookie

> Every site tracks in one of two modes.

Every site tracks in one of two modes. The mode decides how a returning visitor is recognized — and whether the widget sets any cookie at all. It's a per-site setting delivered to the widget as `tracking_mode` in its remote [configuration](/widget/configuration).

## The two modes

* **Cookieless** (default) — no cookies, no local storage, no consent banner. A visitor is identified by a **daily-rotating salted hash** derived from request signals. Because the salt rotates every day, the identifier cannot be used to follow someone across days, which is exactly what keeps it privacy-friendly. The trade-off: a visitor returning tomorrow counts as new.
* **Cookie** — the widget sets a first-party visitor id so the same person is recognized across days and sessions. Use this when cross-day continuity matters more than avoiding a consent prompt.

## Which to pick

| You want…                                        | Use        |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ---------- |
| No cookie banner, GDPR/ePrivacy-friendly default | Cookieless |
| Accurate returning-visitor and retention counts  | Cookie     |

Cookieless is the right default for most marketing sites. Reach for cookie mode when you rely on cross-day identity — for example, multi-day retention cohorts.

## Switching modes

Change the mode in the site's settings, or through the API:

```http theme={null}
PATCH /api/sites/{siteKey}/tracking-mode
```

See [Update tracking mode](/api/sites#update-tracking-mode). The change invalidates the widget's config cache, so visitors pick up the new mode on their next load.

## Reading the visitor id

In cookie mode you can read the current visitor id from the widget — never read the cookie yourself:

```js theme={null}
const visitorId = window.clickbase.getVisitorId();
```

It returns `null` before the widget has loaded, and in cookieless mode where there is no stored id. The main use is bridging a server-side Stripe checkout back to the visit that earned it — see [Track revenue → Attribute a Stripe checkout](/track-revenue).