---
title: "Introduction"
manual: "LUX"
version: "44.4"
permalink: "https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/in2code/lux:introduction@44.4"
source: "Privacy/FingerprintsAndLocalStorage.md"
rendered: "2026-10-01T13:13:23+00:00"
---

![LUX](../Images/logo_claim.svg#gh-light-mode-only) ![LUX](../Images/logo_claim_white.svg#gh-dark-mode-only)

## Introduction {#introduction}

Whenever a lead visits your website, we want to track which pages have been seen or which document were downloaded. This makes it necessary to recognize the lead when leaving page a and entering page b or when the lead comes again on another day. To fulfill this requirement, there a basically two different possible technics available with LUX.

### LocalStorage (default) {#localstorage-default}

Per default LUX runs in localstorage mode. A random string (33 characters) is stored in the local storage of the visitor's browser (comparable to a cookie) and is used to recognize the visitor again.

**Upside:** Writing and reading a random string is done very quickly (no calculation needed). You can also differ between multiple visitors with the same hardware and the same IP-address - this is especially useful if you have a lot of mobile visitors on your website (e.g. if you own a b2c shop for a younger target group).

**Downside:** You have to ask your visitor if you are allowed to store a random string in the local storage of the device, to identify your visitor. To meet GDPR rules, we would suggest you to set up a cookie banner. In addition, a visitor of domain A is not automatically merged if he also visits domain B on the same TYPO3 instance (every domain has its own local storage area. Of course if the user is identified on both domains, the profile will be merged to only one).

**Note:** Maybe you want to disable the "autoenable" functionality. See [OptIn and OptOut](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/in2code/lux:tracking-opt-out-and-opt-in@44.4)

### Fingerprint (cookieless alternative) {#fingerprint-cookieless-alternative}

In fingerprint mode LUX tries to automatically recognize a visitor by its hardware combined with his IP-address. Those values are hashed to one string (sha256) and cannot be reverted or splitted into its originally parts.

Values are:

-   userAgent
-   webdriver
-   language
-   colorDepth
-   deviceMemory
-   hardwareConcurrency
-   screenResolution and availableScreenResolution
-   timezone and timezoneOffset
-   sessionStorage and localStorage
-   indexedDB and openDatabase
-   addBehavior
-   cpuClass
-   platform
-   plugins
-   canvas
-   webgl and webglVendorRenderer
-   hasLiedLanguages and hasLiedResolution and hasLiedOs and hasLiedBrowser
-   touchSupport
-   fonts
-   audio
-   IP-address

**Upside:** Fingerprint is calculated automatically and does not need to be stored anywhere on the device (cookie or local storage). A tracking between different domains and page branches is possible within the same TYPO3 instance.

**Downside:** To calculate a fingerprint every page request needs 200-400ms on top (asynchronous). Beside that multiple visitors with same hard- and software are recognized as only one visitor, if they are using the same IP-address. This is especially true for iPhones of the same version and generation.

This can be turned on via TypoScript constants:

```
plugin.tx_lux.settings.identificationMethod = 0

```

### Overview {#overview}

| Method | Value | Default | Recommended for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LocalStorage | 2 | yes | Most use cases - especially B2C and mobile visitors |
| Fingerprint | 0 | no | Cookieless tracking (no entry on the visitors device) |