Nuxt web analytics installation

Install the package

Required

Install the PostHog JavaScript library using your package manager:

npm install posthog-js
yarn add posthog-js
pnpm add posthog-js

Nuxt version

This guide is for Nuxt v3.0 and above. For Nuxt v2.16 and below, see our Nuxt docs.

Add environment variables

Required

Add your PostHog API key and host to your nuxt.config.js file:

nuxt.config.js
export default defineNuxtConfig({
  runtimeConfig: {
    public: {
      posthogPublicKey: '<ph_project_api_key>',
      posthogHost: 'https://us.i.posthog.com',
      posthogDefaults: '2026-01-30'
    }
  }
})

Create a plugin

Required

Create a new plugin by creating a new file posthog.client.js in your plugins directory:

plugins/posthog.client.js
import { defineNuxtPlugin } from '#app'
import posthog from 'posthog-js'

export default defineNuxtPlugin(nuxtApp => {
  const runtimeConfig = useRuntimeConfig();
  const posthogClient = posthog.init(runtimeConfig.public.posthogPublicKey, {
    api_host: runtimeConfig.public.posthogHost,
    defaults: runtimeConfig.public.posthogDefaults,
    loaded: (posthog) => {
      if (import.meta.env.MODE === 'development') posthog.debug();
    }
  })

  return {
    provide: {
      posthog: () => posthogClient
    }
  }
})

Server-side setup

Optional

To capture events from server routes, install posthog-node and instantiate it directly. You can also use it to evaluate feature flags on the server:

npm install posthog-node
yarn add posthog-node
pnpm add posthog-node

server/api/example.js
import { PostHog } from 'posthog-node'

export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => {
    const runtimeConfig = useRuntimeConfig()

    const posthog = new PostHog(
        runtimeConfig.public.posthogPublicKey,
        { host: runtimeConfig.public.posthogHost }
    )

    posthog.capture({
        distinctId: 'distinct_id_of_the_user',
        event: 'event_name'
    })

    await posthog.shutdown()
})

Send events

Click around and view a couple pages to generate some events. PostHog automatically captures pageviews, clicks, and other interactions for you.

If you'd like, you can also manually capture custom events:

JavaScript
posthog.capture('my_custom_event', { property: 'value' })

6
Next steps
Recommended
After installing PostHog and ensuring autocapture is enabled, head to your web analytics dashboard to see your data. And then check out our getting started guide.
PostHog tip: Web analytics works with anonymous events. This means if you are primarily using PostHog for web analytics, it can be significantly cheaper for you.

Nuxt web analytics installation

Install the package

Add environment variables

Create a plugin

Server-side setup

Send events

Next steps

Community questions

Was this page useful?