> ## 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 and GDPR

> Clickbase tracks without cookies by default, which is what lets you run analytics without a consent banner.

Clickbase tracks without cookies by default, which is what lets you run analytics without a consent banner. This article explains how that works and when you'd choose the alternative.

## How cookieless tracking works

In **cookieless** mode — the default for every site — a visitor is identified by a **daily-rotating salted hash** derived from request signals. No cookie is set, nothing is written to local storage, and no cross-day profile is kept. Because the salt rotates every day, the identifier can't be used to follow someone from one day to the next.

The trade-off is simple: a visitor who returns tomorrow is counted as new, since yesterday's identifier no longer exists.

## Why no consent banner is needed

GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive require a cookie consent banner when you store or read information on a visitor's device — chiefly, cookies used to identify people over time. Cookieless mode does neither: it sets no cookie, stores no device identifier, and builds no persistent cross-day profile. With nothing stored on the device and no long-term identifier, the usual basis for a cookie consent prompt for analytics doesn't apply.

This is the right default for most marketing sites: accurate traffic measurement without interrupting visitors or maintaining consent infrastructure.

As always, this is a description of how the product works, not legal advice — confirm your own obligations for your jurisdiction and use case.

## Cookie mode and its trade-off

When cross-day identity genuinely matters — accurate returning-visitor counts, multi-day retention cohorts — you can switch a site to **cookie** mode. In cookie mode the tracker sets a first-party visitor id so the same person is recognized across days and sessions.

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

The cost of cookie mode is that you're now setting a first-party cookie, which brings the usual consent considerations back into scope. Reach for it only when you rely on cross-day continuity.

## Switching modes

Change the mode in the site's settings. The change takes effect on each visitor's next load. For the deeper reference — including reading the visitor id in cookie mode — see [Cookieless vs cookie](/cookieless).