Session Replay
Capture visual recordings of user sessions for debugging.
When to Use
- Reproducing hard-to-debug issues
- Understanding user confusion
- QA and support investigations
Privacy Requirements (Must Do)
Mask by default:
- All text input fields
- Passwords and sensitive data
- User-generated content
- Financial information
- User photos/documents
Performance Budget
| Resource |
Limit |
| CPU |
<5% additional |
| Memory |
<20MB additional |
| Network |
Batch on WiFi |
| Battery |
Pause when low |
Capture Strategies
| Strategy |
Fidelity |
Overhead |
| Screenshots (1-2 fps) |
Lower |
Lower |
| View hierarchy recording |
Higher |
Moderate |
| Hybrid (screenshots + events) |
Best |
Moderate |
Best Practice
Don't record everything. Target:
- Error sessions only (rolling buffer)
- Key user journeys
- 1-10% sampling for general insights
Implementation
See references/session-replay.md for:
- Platform-specific setup
- Privacy masking patterns
- Vendor configurations (Sentry, Datadog, New Relic)
