Kotlin Multiplatform web analytics installation

1
Install the dependency
Required
Add the PostHog KMP SDK to your shared module's commonMain source set:
shared/build.gradle.kts
kotlin { sourceSets { commonMain.dependencies { implementation("com.posthog:posthog-kmp:0.+") } } }
0.+ resolves to the latest 0.x release. The SDK is a pre-release, so the API can change between minor versions – pin an exact version from Maven Central if you would rather upgrade deliberately. Kotlin/Wasm support requires 0.2.0 or higher.

Configure PostHog

Required

Call PostHog.setup() once, early in your app's lifecycle. The config is shared across every target – only the PostHogContext differs per platform.

Android needs the Application instance, so set PostHog up from your Application class – not from an Activity, whose onCreate re-runs on every recreation (for example, on rotation):

MyApplication.kt
import android.app.Application
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHog
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHogConfig
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHogContext

class MyApplication : Application() {
    override fun onCreate() {
        super.onCreate()

        PostHog.setup(
            config = PostHogConfig(
                apiKey = "<ph_project_token>",
                host = "https://us.i.posthog.com",
            ),
            context = PostHogContext(this),
        )
    }
}

android/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
<application android:name=".MyApplication" ...>

On iOS, use the no-argument PostHogContext():

MainViewController.kt
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHog
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHogConfig
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHogContext

fun MainViewController() = ComposeUIViewController {
    LaunchedEffect(Unit) {
        PostHog.setup(
            config = PostHogConfig(
                apiKey = "<ph_project_token>",
                host = "https://us.i.posthog.com",
            ),
            context = PostHogContext(),
        )
    }
    App()
}

On the web (Kotlin/JS and Kotlin/Wasm), use the no-argument PostHogContext():

main.kt
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHog
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHogConfig
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHogContext

fun main() {
    PostHog.setup(
        config = PostHogConfig(
            apiKey = "<ph_project_token>",
            host = "https://us.i.posthog.com",
        ),
        context = PostHogContext(),
    )
}

On the JVM – for example, a Compose Multiplatform desktop app – use the no-argument PostHogContext():

main.kt
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHog
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHogConfig
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHogContext

fun main() = application {
    PostHog.setup(
        config = PostHogConfig(
            apiKey = "<ph_project_token>",
            host = "https://us.i.posthog.com",
        ),
        context = PostHogContext(),
    )
    // ...
}

Track screen views

Recommended

Despite the name, the web analytics dashboard can be used to track screen views in mobile apps, too. Open your app and view some screens to generate some events.

Screen views are off by default. Set captureScreenViews = true to capture them automatically – screen views on Android and iOS, pageviews on the web:

Kotlin
PostHogConfig(
    apiKey = "<ph_project_token>",
    host = "https://us.i.posthog.com",
    captureScreenViews = true,
)

You can also capture a screen view yourself from shared code:

Kotlin
import com.posthog.kmp.PostHog

PostHog.screen(
    screenName = "Dashboard",
    properties = mapOf(
        "background" to "blue"
    )
)

4
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 start here 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.

Kotlin Multiplatform web analytics installation

Install the dependency

Configure PostHog

Track screen views

Next steps

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