---
title: How to set up analytics in React
date: 2025-03-07
author:
  - lior-neu-ner
tags:
  - product analytics
---

[Product analytics](/product-analytics) enables you to gather and analyze data about how users interact with your React app. To show you how to set up analytics, in this tutorial we create a basic React app with Vite, add PostHog, and use it to capture pageviews and custom events.

## Creating a React app with Vite

To demonstrate the basics of PostHog analytics, we'll create a simple app with two pages and a link to navigate between them.

First, ensure [Node.js is installed](https://nodejs.dev/en/learn/how-to-install-nodejs/) (version 20.0 or newer). Then create a new React app with Vite:

```bash
npm create vite@latest react-analytics -- --template react
cd react-analytics
npm install
```

Next, create two new files `HomePage.jsx` and `AboutPage.jsx` in your `src` directory:

```bash
cd ./src
touch HomePage.jsx
touch AboutPage.jsx
```

In `HomePage.jsx`, add the following code:

```jsx file=src/HomePage.jsx
function HomePage() {
  return <h1>Home Page</h1>;
}

export default HomePage;
```

In `AboutPage.jsx`, add the following code:

```jsx file=src/AboutPage.jsx
function AboutPage() {
  return <h1>About Page</h1>;
}

export default AboutPage;
```

Next, we set up the routing. First, install React Router in your project:

```bash
npm install react-router-dom
```

Then, set up the router by replacing the code in `App.jsx` with the following:

```jsx file=App.jsx
import React from 'react';
import { BrowserRouter as Router, Route, Link, Routes } from 'react-router-dom';
import HomePage from './HomePage';
import AboutPage from './AboutPage'; 

function App() {
  return (
    <Router>
      <div>
        <nav>
          <ul>
            <li>
              <Link to="/">Home</Link>
            </li>
            <li>
              <Link to="/about">About</Link>
            </li>
          </ul>
        </nav>

        <Routes> 
          <Route path="/about" element={<AboutPage />} />
          <Route path="/" element={<HomePage />} />
        </Routes>
      </div>
    </Router>
  );
}

export default App;
```

The basic setup is now complete. Run `npm run dev` to see your app in action.

![Basic React app](https://res.cloudinary.com/dmukukwp6/image/upload/Clean_Shot_2025_03_07_at_10_01_01_2x_979f06e01f.png)

## Adding PostHog

With our app set up, it's time to install and set up PostHog. If you don't have a PostHog instance, you can [sign up for free](https://us.posthog.com/signup). 

First install `posthog-js` and `@posthog/react`:

```bash
npm install posthog-js @posthog/react
```

Next, import PostHog into `src/main.jsx` and set up it up using your project API key and host from [your project settings](https://us.posthog.com/settings/project). Then we wrap our app with `PostHogProvider` to access PostHog in any component.

```jsx file=src/main.jsx
import React from 'react'
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom/client'
import './index.css'
import App from './App.jsx'
import posthog from 'posthog-js'
import { PostHogProvider } from '@posthog/react'

posthog.init('<ph_project_api_key>', {
  api_host: '<ph_client_api_host>',
  defaults: '<ph_posthog_js_defaults>',
})

ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root')).render(
  <React.StrictMode>
    <PostHogProvider client={posthog}>
      <App />
    </PostHogProvider>
  </React.StrictMode>,
)
```

Once you've done this, reload your app and click the links a few times. You should see pageviews and events appearing in PostHog's [activity tab](https://us.posthog.com/activity/explore).

<ProductScreenshot
  imageLight="https://res.cloudinary.com/dmukukwp6/image/upload/Clean_Shot_2025_05_22_at_12_52_46_2x_7224c6ef4d.png" 
  imageDark="https://res.cloudinary.com/dmukukwp6/image/upload/Clean_Shot_2025_05_22_at_12_52_58_2x_672876af4d.png" 
  alt="Events in PostHog" 
  classes="rounded"
/>

## Capturing custom events

Beyond pageviews and autocaptured events, there might be more events you want to capture. To do this, you can [capture custom events](/docs/product-analytics/capture-events) with PostHog. 

To showcase this, update the code in `HomePage.jsx` to include a button that uses PostHog to capture a `home_button_clicked` event:

```jsx file=HomePage.jsx
import { usePostHog } from '@posthog/react'

function HomePage() {
  const posthog = usePostHog()
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Home Page</h1>
      <button 
        onClick={() => {
          posthog.capture('home_button_clicked', {
            'user_name': 'Max the Hedgehog' 
          });
      }}>
        Click Me
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default HomePage;
```

Now when you click the button, PostHog captures the custom `home_button_clicked` event. Notice that we also added a property `user_name` to the event. This is helpful for filtering events in PostHog.

## Further reading

- [How to set up surveys in React](/tutorials/react-surveys)
- [How to set up A/B tests in React](/tutorials/react-ab-testing)
- [How to set up feature flags in React](/tutorials/react-feature-flags)

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