Posthog Session Replay Portable !full!

PostHog Session Replay "portable" functionality primarily refers to the ability to export recordings for offline use the platform for full data ownership

1. What "Portable" Means in this Context

By default, session replays are stored in PostHog’s cloud (or your self-hosted instance) and viewed in their UI. Making them "portable" implies: posthog session replay portable

this.isRecording = true; this.setupEventListeners(); this.startFlushInterval(); this.captureInitialState();

PostHog session replays are "portable" primarily through JSON exports, allowing you to preserve, share, or re-import recordings even after their standard retention period expires. Portable Export Options Use compact NDJSON or binary (Protobuf) framing for

Review: PostHog Session Replay – “Portable” Advantage

Overall Verdict:
A standout choice if data ownership, compliance, and avoiding vendor lock-in are priorities. The “portable” aspect (self-hostable, exportable, API-first) gives it a clear edge over tools like FullStory or Hotjar for engineering-centric teams. Most session replay tools (e.g.

class PortableSessionRecorder { private recording: SessionRecording | null = null; private eventBuffer: SessionEvent[] = []; private isRecording = false; private flushInterval: NodeJS.Timeout | null = null;

Data Model & Payload Format

  • Use compact NDJSON or binary (Protobuf) framing for efficiency.
  • Example chunk (NDJSON): "type":"meta","session_id":"s_123","started_at":1640000000, "user_agent":"..." "type":"full_snapshot","seq":0,"timestamp":0,"payload":"base64-serialized-dom" "type":"mutation","seq":1,"timestamp":125,"ops":[...] "type":"event","seq":2,"timestamp":200,"name":"click","target":"#buy","x":...
  • Sequence numbers for ordering; checksums for integrity.

Most session replay tools (e.g., Smartlook or Mouseflow) operate on a "walled garden" principle. You record user sessions via their proprietary script, the data lives on their servers, and the replay player is a proprietary iframe embedded in their dashboard. You cannot leave. If you stop paying, you lose access to every recording. Even if you stay, you often cannot pipe that raw data into your own data lake.

Write to a local file for custom processing

with open('user_session.json', 'w') as f: json.dump(snapshots, f)