--- title: The Context object slug: the-context-object createdAt: 2026-04-20T20:31:51.148Z --- # The Context Object Every analytics event in the Chord CDP carries a `context` object alongside its `properties`. While `properties` describe what happened in the event, `context` describes the environment in which it happened — the page, the user's device, their location, and any identity traits that have been associated with them. Destination plugins use `context` fields as fallback sources when event properties are not present. For example, a user's email set via an `identify` call will be available on all subsequent track events as `context.traits.email`. # How Context Is Populated How `context` gets populated depends on whether the event originates from a browser (via the Chord SDK) or is sent server-to-server (S2S). ## Browser Events Browser events are those sent by the `@chordcommerce/analytics` SDK running in the user's browser. The SDK and Chord's ingest layer together populate `context` automatically — no extra configuration required: **Automatically by the Chord SDK** - `context.page` — current URL, path, referrer, title - `context.userAgent` — browser user agent string - `context.locale` — browser locale (e.g. `en-US`) - `context.library` — SDK name and version - `context.screen` — screen dimensions and density - `context.campaign` — UTM parameters parsed from the URL - `context.clientIds` — third-party client IDs and ad click IDs, read from cookies, from the landing page URL, and from vendor SDKs already loaded on the page **From **`identify`** calls** When your code calls `identify(userId, traits)`, the traits are stored and attached to all subsequent events as `context.traits`. This is the mechanism that makes user attributes like email, name, and address available on track events without repeating them in every event's `properties`. **Enriched at ingest (browser events only)** Chord's ingest layer adds the following from the HTTP request headers for browser-originated events: - `context.ip` — originating IP address - `context.userAgent` — extracted from the `User-Agent` header if not already set by the SDK - `context.locale` — extracted from the `Accept-Language` header if not already set by the SDK - `context.page.url/path/search/host` — populated from the HTTP `Referer` header if not already set ## Server-to-Server (S2S) Events S2S events are sent directly from your backend using a server-side write key. Because there is no browser involved, **no context fields are added automatically** — the ingest layer does not extract user agent, locale, or page data from S2S requests. For S2S events, `context` contains only what you explicitly include in the event payload. If your server-side event should carry page, trait, or campaign context, you must attach it yourself before sending. **Recommended practice:** When sending S2S events that correspond to a browser action (e.g. an order confirmation triggered server-side), forward the user agent and any UTM parameters your frontend captured, and include them in the event's `context` object. ## Geolocation Enrichment `context.geo` is resolved from `context.ip` and is only meaningful for browser events. For browser events, `context.ip` is captured automatically from the HTTP request, so geo fields are populated when GeoIP resolution is configured. For S2S events, the originating IP belongs to your server, not the end user, so geolocation derived from it has no value. `context.geo` will not be present on S2S events. # Schema Reference ## context.page URL and navigation context for the current page. Populated automatically by the browser SDK for browser events. For S2S events, populate these fields manually if the event relates to a specific page. | Field | Type | Description | | ------------------ | ------ | ------------------ | | `url` | string | Full page URL | | `path` | string | URL path component | | `host` | string | Hostname | | `referrer` | string | Referrer URL | | `referring_domain` | string | Referrer hostname | | `search` | string | Query string | | `title` | string | Page title | ## context.traits User traits from the most recent `identify` call. These persist across events for the browser session. Destination plugins use these as fallbacks when event `properties` do not carry the same information. ### Standard Traits | Field | Type | Description | | ------------ | ------ | ------------------------ | | `email` | string | User email address | | `phone` | string | Phone number | | `first_name` | string | First name | | `last_name` | string | Last name | | `name` | string | Full name | | `address` | object | See address schema below | ### context.traits.address The standard address schema for `context.traits.address` aligns with the Chord tracking plan address conventions: | Field | Type | Description | | ---------- | ------ | ----------------------------- | | `address1` | string | Street address line 1 | | `address2` | string | Street address line 2 | | `city` | string | City | | `state` | string | State or province | | `country` | string | Country | | `zipcode` | string | Postal / ZIP code | | `name` | string | Recipient name | | `company` | string | Company name | | `phone` | string | Address-specific phone number | :::BlockQuote **Note:** The event extractor also recognises legacy field names as fallbacks — `street` for `address1`, `street2` for `address2`, and `zip` / `postalCode` for `zipcode`. These are supported for backwards compatibility but `address1`, `address2`, and `zipcode` are the canonical names. ::: ## context.clientIds Identifiers for third-party tracking tools, including ad click IDs. These are what let a destination attribute a conversion back to the ad click, email, or session that caused it. They are also written to the warehouse, so they are available for attribution modelling even when no destination reads them. They come from three places. ### From browser cookies Read on every event from cookies the vendor's own script sets. A field is absent until that script has run — and, where the vendor gates on consent, until the visitor has consented. An absent value is a normal state, not an error. | Field | Type | Cookie | Description | | -------------------- | ------ | -------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | `ga4.clientId` | string | `_ga` | Google Analytics 4 client ID | | `ga4.sessionIds` | any | `_ga_*` | GA4 session IDs, keyed by measurement ID | | `fbc` | string | `_fbc` | Facebook click ID | | `fbp` | string | `_fbp` | Facebook browser ID | | `gcl_aw` | string | `_gcl_aw` | Google Ads click cookie | | `ttclid` | string | `ttclid` | TikTok click ID | | `ttp` | string | `_ttp` | TikTok browser ID | | `epik` | string | `_epik` | Pinterest click ID | | `openai_oppref` | string | `__oppref` | OpenAI Ads click identifier | | `openai_obref` | string | `__obref` | OpenAI Ads browser reference | | `nosto_cid` | string | `2c.cId` | Nosto session identifier | | `amplitudeSessionId` | number | `_amp_session` | Amplitude session ID (Unix ms) | ### From the landing page URL Click identifiers usually appear only on the URL of the page the visitor lands on. The SDK stores each one in the browser and replays it on every later event, so a visitor who lands on an ad and converts several pages later still carries the identifier that earned the conversion. Stored values last 30 days. Most are cleared once an `Order Completed` event has been sent, so one click is not credited to two separate orders. Clearing happens *after* the event is sent, so the order event itself still carries the identifier. | URL parameter | Field | Cleared at purchase | Description | | ------------- | ---------------- | ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | `irclickid` | `irclickid` | Yes | Impact click ID | | `im_ref` | `impact` | Yes | Impact UTT referrer | | `_kx` | `klaviyo_kx` | No | Klaviyo exchange ID, set on links in Klaviyo emails | | `brid` | `meta_brid` | Yes | Meta in-app-browser reference | | `oppref` | `openai_oppref` | Yes | OpenAI Ads click identifier | | `rdt_cid` | `reddit_rdt_cid` | Yes | Reddit Ads click ID | `_kx` is the exception to the clear-at-purchase rule. It identifies a Klaviyo profile rather than crediting a single click, so there is nothing to de-duplicate at purchase, and it is kept for the full 30 days. UTM parameters are captured by the same mechanism but surface under `context.campaign` rather than here. ### From a vendor SDK on the page Read directly from the vendor's SDK when it is already loaded, which avoids a race with cookie writes during SDK startup. | Field | Type | Description | | -------------------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ | | `amplitudeSessionId` | number | Amplitude session ID, overriding the cookie value | | `amplitudeDeviceId` | string | Amplitude device ID | | `posthog.sessionId` | string | PostHog session ID, for joining events to session recordings | | `posthog.distinctId` | string | PostHog distinct ID | ### Forwarded from a storefront integration Shopify storefronts capture click IDs on the landing page, write them to cart attributes, and forward them with the order. These arrive on the event without the browser SDK having seen them, and include `gclid`, `wbraid`, `gbraid`, `msclkid`, `fbclid`, `twclid`, `dclid`, `li_fat_id`, `sc_cid`, `irclickid`, and `im_ref`. `context.clientIds` is open-ended — a destination or transformation may add fields beyond those listed above. ## context.campaign UTM parameters parsed from the page URL. | Field | Type | Description | | --------- | ------ | -------------- | | `name` | string | `utm_campaign` | | `source` | string | `utm_source` | | `medium` | string | `utm_medium` | | `content` | string | `utm_content` | | `term` | string | `utm_term` | ## context.geo Geolocation data resolved from `context.ip`. Only present on browser events — for S2S events the originating IP is the server's IP, which has no meaningful geo value. | Field | Type | Description | | -------------------- | ------ | ------------------------------- | | `country.code` | string | ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code | | `country.name` | string | Country name | | `region.code` | string | Region / state code | | `region.name` | string | Region / state name | | `city.name` | string | City name | | `location.latitude` | number | Latitude | | `location.longitude` | number | Longitude | ## context.device Mobile device information. Populated by mobile SDKs; typically absent for browser events. | Field | Type | Description | | ------------------- | ------- | ----------------------------------- | | `id` | string | Device ID | | `type` | string | Device type (e.g. `ios`, `android`) | | `manufacturer` | string | Device manufacturer | | `model` | string | Device model | | `name` | string | Device name | | `advertisingId` | string | Advertising ID (IDFA / GAID) | | `adTrackingEnabled` | boolean | Whether ad tracking is enabled | | `token` | string | Push notification token | ## context.os Operating system information. Populated by mobile SDKs. | Field | Type | Description | | --------- | ------ | ------------------------------- | | `name` | string | OS name (e.g. `iOS`, `Android`) | | `version` | string | OS version string | ## context.network Network information. Populated by mobile SDKs. | Field | Type | Description | | ----------- | ------- | ------------------------------ | | `carrier` | string | Mobile carrier name | | `wifi` | boolean | Whether connected via WiFi | | `cellular` | boolean | Whether connected via cellular | | `bluetooth` | boolean | Whether Bluetooth is on | ## context.screen Screen dimensions. Populated by the browser SDK and mobile SDKs. | Field | Type | Description | | --------- | ------ | ---------------------------------- | | `width` | number | Screen width in pixels | | `height` | number | Screen height in pixels | | `density` | number | Pixel density (device pixel ratio) | ## context.app Application metadata. Populated by mobile SDKs. | Field | Type | Description | | ----------- | ------ | ------------------------- | | `name` | string | App name | | `version` | string | App version | | `build` | string | Build number | | `namespace` | string | App namespace / bundle ID | ## Other Fields | Field | Type | Description | | ----------------- | ------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `ip` | string | Originating IP address. Set automatically for browser events and used to populate `context.geo`. Not meaningful for S2S events (server IP, not user IP). | | `userAgent` | string | Browser user agent string. Browser events only — not set on S2S events unless provided explicitly. | | `locale` | string | Browser locale (e.g. `en-US`). Browser events only — not set on S2S events unless provided explicitly. | | `library.name` | string | Chord SDK name | | `library.version` | string | Chord SDK version | *** *** **Updated 18 Aug 2026**