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# What is a session?

A session is a period of time when a user is active on a website or app, from first interaction until a 30-minute inactivity timeout, enabling precise attribution and user journey tracking.

Source: https://usehardal.com/glossary/session

---

A **session** is a period of continuous activity when a user is engaged with your website or app. At Hardal, we count and track sessions across your stack with a precise algorithm that handles session attribution, user journey tracking, and data segmentation—all using first-party data. A session starts from browser or app or even online/offline store, using server-to-server tracking when the user becomes active and ends after **30 minutes of inactivity**, so you get a clear picture of how many distinct visits and journeys you have.

![Hardal Session](https://imge.usehardal.com/cdn/website/glossary/session/gocrrhvco0y1z9rsow1p.png)

Session tracking runs entirely on first-party data and cookieless. Your dashboards show session counts that reflect real user engagement, with historical data recalculated for consistency.

## Key benefits of session tracking

- **Better session detection**: More accurate identification of unique user sessions, especially across different entry points (web, app, campaigns).

- **Smarter timeout handling**: 30-minute inactivity windows are tracked with precision, so sessions are neither split too often nor merged incorrectly.

- **Enhanced user journey tracking**: Cleaner attribution across UserIDs and session transitions, so you see how users move through your product.

- **Improved segmentation**: More reliable breakdowns by device, location, and behavior patterns for reporting and audiences.

- **Historical data aligned**: Past data is recalculated with the same rules as current data, so trends and comparisons stay meaningful.

- **Cookieless & privacy-first**: Session counting uses only first-party data—no cookies or cross-site tracking—so it stays compliant and future-proof.

## FAQ: Session

### What is a session in analytics?
A session is a period of user activity that starts when they engage with your site or app and ends after 30 minutes of inactivity. It groups all events and interactions into a single visit for attribution and reporting.

### How does session tracking work?
Sessions are detected from first-party events (page views, screen views, custom events). Activity extends the session; 30 minutes with no events ends it. The next interaction starts a new session. All of this runs server-side with no cookies.

### When does a session end?
A session ends after 30 minutes of no tracked activity. If the user returns later, a new session begins. This gives consistent, comparable session counts across your dashboard and historical data.

### Do I need to do anything to use session data?
No. Session tracking is already active in your dashboard. Log in to see session counts and trends; if counts look higher than before, that’s the improved accuracy capturing sessions that were previously missed.

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